responded to the needs of america. middle class americans, americans of all stripes who required initiatives from this house. we were in the midst of a very dark period, a recession that gripped this economy, that put 8.2 million million people at risk by their losing a job through no fault of their own. we are losing as many as 800,000 jobs a month. and so the devastation of that impact on the american economy, bringing america's economy to its knees, needed a response from government. . the president gave us an agenda to move us into a response against the recession, but putting us at the cutting edge in a modern economy, investing in research, science and technology, investing in an

ideas economy. that's the sort of priming of the pump, if you will, that is essential for us to respond in substantive terms, for us to utilize government as a tool that is productive and enabling and empowering the middle class and empowering our small business community and empowering our entrepreneur. and it happened in the 111th congress. but something changed in leadership in the 112th congress. we are ranked in percentage approval, below 10%. some of the lowest points achieved or earned by this congress in its history as the house. that is a very telling statement. how do we go from the most productive in decades to most unfavorable in the history of the house?

we have a reactionary response who want to destroy the essence of government and wean every government activity into a very difficult period in our economic history. it is one that is unpopular and unproductive, it is one that is rejected by people out there. when i go back to our district, i have heard from republicans, democrats and independents alike. there is a paralysis here and there is a sense of partisanship rather than partnership and an attempt to denny anything in the house to get progressive policy done. there are things that languish. there is this crush of big tax that work to produce a jobs bill, a response to the ag

crisis, work to ininvestigate in the middle class. it's been this house when controlled by the democrats that spoke to the ladders of success. the democratic conference has always been about in my tenure here about producing ladders of success. you know, we believe in that american principle that you work hard, act with responsibility, play by the rules and expect to taste success. well, we haven't seen that sort of cooperative spirit from the new republican majority in the house. we believe as democrats that you produce those ladders of opportunity. you allow people to climb toward their american dream. we enable people to utilize their gifts, talents, passion,

their skills to empower themselves, their families, the small businesses. and so we stand for this wonderful three-legged stool that speaks to the empowerment of small business, for ever the pulse of american enterprise that looks to create jobs with small business citizenship into the local community grain. and we talk about investing in entrepreneurs, those dreamers, the movers, the shakers, the builders of society that has forever been the american spirit, the pioneer spirit. i represent a district in upstate new york that is the area to the erie canal and gave birth to innovation and invention. the empowerment of the entrepreneur, and a thriving

middle class, making certain that we utilize the policies that can be created in this whose that will empower with tax fairness and empower with investment in the worker and education, higher education, apresence tiesship program, to empower the middle class and small businesses. we have measures that we have asked to be brought to the floor. there is a denial of any single jobs bill in the house. we have requested over and over again to invest in that agenda, the empowerment of america, investing in entrepreneur and it has been rejected. i'm joined by a colleague from the state of connecticut. joseph courtney. joe courtney is a strong believer in the government process and when we can prime the pump and utilize government to make a difference, when we can create programs that speak to the honest-to-goodness agenda

for all strata of america but utilizing small business, farming, making certain we utilize every sector of our economy and not relying on a service sector, especially the financial sector that brought us into a crisis situation. one of those prime sectors, agriculture. representative courtney, great to have you joining us. the agriculture industry from coast to coast is an important industry. you sit on the ag committee. as a representative from connecticut, i know you know the importance of agriculture. and reauthorization of an ag bill is fundamental to go forward and create opportunity?

mr. courtney: it is. this is a place where the eyes are on us right now in terms of whether or not this body is going to have the strength and will to act and deal with, again, all the ticking clocks which you mentioned. sequestration and at the end of this month, a farm bill reauthorization. again, for those watching tonight, i think it's important to have a little context here, which is up until this year, every five years since the end of world war ii, congress has acted to enact a farm bill, which is a five-year policy bill that sets up the ground rules for a vast array of issues that surround producers in this country, the folks that get up every morning that milk the cows and harvest the crops and rural development, small-town america depends on funds and programs to build everything from sewers,

hospitals, health clinics. again, all of the infrastructure, which again, small towns by themselves really don't have the financial means to create. conservation programs, policy, food policy, nutrition policy. the farm bill is a profoundly important measure that sets up both producer and production policies in agriculture, but also consumer ends in terms of food safety, food security, et cetera. increditly, we are, at the end of this month, end of september, the last farm bill will expire. and if congress does not act, then farm policy will revert to what the state of the law was in this country in 1949. again, that statutory construct is so completely disconnected from the reality that farms and agriculture is today in the 21st

century, that it defies, really, the powers of any secretary of agriculture to implement. again, as you point out, when we look at the u.s. economy today, agriculture is leading the way in terms of growth, in terms of exports, in terms of renewed activity, even in new england, which is not viewed as a big farm state, but specialty crops, growing farmers' markets, really renaissance and movement towards making sure that foods that we serve our kids in american homes, that people have a heightened interest in making sure it's local and fresh. and the farm bill sets up the policies that makes that movement continue to grow. where are we tonight? senate passed the farm bill. they passed a farm bill back in june. it was a bipartisan measure, hard-fought and took three weeks to get through the senate floor,

yet republicans and democrats in the senate came together with a farm bill, which does great things in terms of reforming agriculture policy in this country and eliminates direct payments to farmers, which saves the taxpayers $23 billion over the next five years, so it actually helps the deficit in this country by passing the senate farm bill. it supports dairy farms, which is critically important because the structure that is in place today was shown to not be adequate in 2009 when milk prices crashed. it sets up a risk insurance program for farmers to have security about their future. it does a great job in terms of protecting and maintaining the network of food supply for americans who are struggling to put food on the table. it's a good, solid bipartisan

measure that addresses all the challenges of the 21st century. in the house, we actually reported out a farm bill in the house agriculture committee with a strong bipartisan vote. it cuts too deeply into nutrition. people close to it are very confident can be worked out in a conference committee if the house floor will take up a farm bill. and the speaker, to this moment, has refused to even signal that he will schedule a vote for a farm bill to move the process along. so, literally, the clock ticks towards the end of september. farmers and producers all across america are in horror, looking at this chamber, looking at this speaker, and saying, are you kidding me? you won't even schedule a vote and send it to conference committee and get real movement and get a farm bill pass snd a couple of hours ago i was with the farmers union just down the

block where we have farmers from california to maine who are gathering here in washington, d.c.,, american farm bureau who are flooding the halls of congress saying we need a farm bill. this should not be a partisan issue that should gridlock one of the most vibrant and critical components of america's economy and to this moment, we have gotten no signal from the republican leadership they will even schedule a vote. it is incredible. the agriculture committee produced a bipartisan bill. they did their work. chairman lucas, ranking member peterson, i was there for the 13-plus-hour markup to get the bill through the floor. they did a great job in terms of getting the bill to the floor. this was done before the august recess. the speaker refused to bring it

up before we went home for five weeks. farmers are demanding in action and we are back in town and nothing has been scheduled to bring up a farm bill we can send to the conference committee and get real action and results. totally unacceptable. and let me finish before i throw the baton back to you. the last farm bill had a measure -- called a feed adjust ter index, which would allow farmers who are facing high feed costs to get help and relief. anybody who looks in the financial pages can see that corn prices are hitting record highs because of the drought. feed costs have gone through the roof. fuel costs are going through the roof. all the input costs for running a dairy farm are at record highs and yet as of a couple of weeks ago, the dairy farmers of america have basically the rug pulled out from them because

this chamber did not move and do its job back in july and get a farm bill passed out of this chamber and sent to conference committee. they were the first wave of victims of republican inaction in this house to move a farm bill. at the end of this month, it will be the rest of american agriculture will revert back to a statutory structure in 1949 if we don't move forward and get a farm bill done. i'm glad you scheduled this session tonight, because i think the american people need to hear that democrats stand ready to roll up their sleeves and get to work on this floor, pass a farm bill, send it to the conference committee and work with the bipartisan majority in the senate to pass the farm bill and help the american farmers and producers who are making sure that the system of food production and supply works. it is a very fragile system as

we are seeing with the drought. and people in this chamber are treating with, in my opinion, outrageous neglect in not doing their constitutional duty and showing leadership and bringing up the farm bill in this chamber and i yield back. mr. tonko: you are a great friend not only to me, but to this house, the district you represent and to the state of connecticut. you are a good friend because of the academics you have put into the job. i know you are about building consensus. what we have here -- doesn't this become even more urgent with the drought situation we have had across this country. grain prices are going to rise. so they have present difficulties built into the ag outcome for many sectors of agriculture, it becomes even more critical and to revert to a 1949 formula is sinful and

immoral. people talk about the lack of productivity, but talking about immoral outcomes that don't enable people to do their work. i mean, this is a small business, but agriculture runs that. for many it's small business, family business, a way of life and denying that very fabric of this country. i know groups have come together, outside groups that are putting pressure here and come in partnership and said hey, look, get this done. get it done. you have done some of the basics, why are you ignoring this number one industry? . . >> again, the house did bring up a so-called disaster relief bill right before the august break. mr. courtney: something which the american farm bureau dismissed as inadequate in terms of actual agricultural policy in this country, used as a pay-for

taking money out of conservation which again is critical a priority as almost anything else in the farm bill. again, it was just a almost pathetic attempt to provide political cover for people who knew that, again, with the catastrophe happening out in the midwest, they couldn't possibly leave town without at least trying to make some small gesture towards acknowledging that that was actually happening. but again the senate measure includes a full disaster relief, the house committee bill, which came out and has full disaster relief, and that's what really the american agriculture community is looking for. and tomorrow on the steps of the capitol there will be a huge rally with farm groups from all across america gathering on the steps, senators, congressmen are going to be out there leading the charge and we understand some republican members are going to show some, you know, courage and get out there on

those steps and join those farmers in saying, we need a farm bill now to be voted on in the house of representatives and it's time for the republican leadership to listen to the people who again are out there busting their tail every single day making sure that there's food on the table for this country. mr. tonko: right. you know, i listen to you and your state was tremendously impacted by irene and lee last summer. my state was tremendously impacted. we reached to those very pots that we've emptied with the republican solution that served our community so very well with disaster funds. we can't tamper with some of those legitimate set-asides because they're there, they're required by mother nature or by manmade situations where we need to have disaster dollars available. but you can't help but quantify, i mean, you just imagine the extrapolating out of jobs, the impact of jobs. if you don't get this done, the ripple effect into those ancillary businesses that feed

into the needs of agriculture, it is a tremendous opportunity for us to grow stability in the economy. and to not do this, this do-nothing republican congress is devastating the economy. we could have made major strides we could have gone forward with a lot of attempts to do good. now, what i sense here from what you talked about with these poison pills that have been adopted or placed into the solutions or the ignoring of greed upon regulation in committee, this is an occurring thing. we saw the f.a.a., the federal aviation administration, the aeronautics administration impacted again by delays that games that were being played because they need the full loaf or they want it their way. there's no sense of consensus that is driving these outcomes and so we delayed for months the f.a.a. outcome which challenged, put at risk hundreds of projects, tens of thousands of construction jobs that were going to speak to safety at our

airports. we saw with student loans. you were so actively involved with that. you were outspoken in your criticism of perhaps doubling our students' loan interests on their loans and they again inserted poison pills, we waited until the midnight hour to get something done, with a lot of unpredictability again, we saw it with the payroll tax relief that we were trying to do for middle income america and small businesses. couldn't get it done, waited until the last minute. poison pills that delayed progress. this is a recurring theme, is it not? mr. courtney: it is, of course. and again another example of a measure that really is just teed up and ready for action in the house is the postal reform. ok, we have a postal system right now is both technically and substantively in bankruptcy. the obligations of the postal system in terms of its expenses and pensioning costs now exceed the revenue that's coming in and once again we have a situation where the senate has already

acted. they passed a bipartisan postal reform bill, my colleague from connecticut, joe lieberman, senator joe lieberman, is the chair of the committee that put together again a significant bipartisan coalition to get a postal reform bill through which would provide stability in the finances of this system which again isn't bankruptcy. you know, nothing has happened on this side of the campus, of the capitol, in terms of any action, in terms of bringing a bill to the floor to make sure that, again, the postal system which goes back to the birth of our country is not going to cap size into hopeless bankruptcy. i mean, just totally unexcusable to have an issue like this which, you know, i challenge anyone to point to any time in american history where the postal service has become sort of a partisan political fble yet this republican leadership has done nothing to bring a postal reform bill to the floor. violence against women act,

again, a measure which is really a law enforcement measure in terms of giving our police and court systems and victim advocates the tools they need to eliminate domestic violence in this country. my wife is involved with disciplinary teams in dealing with she this issue as a pediatric nurse practitioner. again, the senate passed a good, strong, bipartisan bill. we had a partisan measure that just, you know, turned the clock back in terms of protecting victims who again are here on temporary visas. again, as some kind of statement i guess about immigration. and yet this is a measure which has not been sent to conference by this side of the chamber and we have a situation, a priority such as domestic violence which has traditionally been completely nonpartisan since it was enacted back in the 1990's and no action has been taken by this republican leadership who seems intent on going home

pretty soon and just basically leaving town until election time. it's just stunning that farm bill, postal reform bill, violence against women, we should be able to do these things tonight and give this country some confidence. mr. tonko: representative courtney, you talk about the reducing of the violence against women act. if the spirit and letter that have law has been to protect women, why would you weaken certain protections? there's this order of meanness and selectiveness and insensitivity that has abounded in this house. where they reduce efforts that have been championed over the decades. hard-fought efforts, bipartisan efforts, bicameral efforts. the executive branch working with the legislative branch, making certain that the heart and soul of this reform, through the ages, has been about making america stronger. it's we the people working toward a more perfect union.

a more perfect union. we've made such wonderful progress, we've had acknowledged the needs of women, where they were ignored in legislative or statutory concepts. we go forward and now it's like, as you suggest, rolling the cost back. you know, being insensitive to so many needs out there and reducing the fabric of our government. it's like try to speak to an archaic sort of quality that's driven by extreme thinking. it's the tail wagging the dog in the conference where this extreme thinking has take ever owe -- taken over the majority and this do-nothing republican congress is not responding, not stepping up to the plate at a time that it's very, very critical. we saw this economy challenge more greatly than perhaps the depression of the past that really was a prime test, but in many of the lives of today's working americans, this is the

first time, greatest experience of challenge before us and when we should step up and be the champions of fairness and justice and resolve, to move forward with progressive policy, we're getting almost the reverse . it's the antithesis of what's required here. mr. courtney: i would just say that the inaction of this leadership, today we received an ominous warning from moodies investors services which warned that basically that congress' failure to strike a deal on the fiscal cliff sometime within the next six months or so will lead to a downgrade of this country's financial rating. again, moody's preserved the a.a.a. status last august when we had the last self-induced crisis by the republican majority on the default at issue and so the warning is out there. incredibly the speaker, he was when asked about this later in the day today, basically said he has no confidence that we can strike a deal to avoid the

fiscal cliff. i mean, again, we're talking -- it is september 11, a day when we should be coming together and reflecting on our unity as american people and to have that kind of negativity at a time when we've been -- the same day we were warned that the country could capsize into a downgrade, and just basically throw up his arms and say, well, he has no confidence we can put that deal together. i'm reminded of the old military saying which is, you know, lead, follow or get out of the way. and really for a speaker to basically say at this early stage that he has no confidence that this body, which has gone through world wars, depressions, a civil war, you know, and has always been able to really show that the genius of the founding fathers to create a structure where decisions can be made is somehow incapable of dealing with the issue that we're confronted with today is just a really just shocking admission of abdication of leadership.

and really it just -- it signals that we need to have a change here in this chamber one way or another. if we're going to deal with the problems that are looming on the horizon which is your opening comment. mr. tonko: i agree with you. i think that the brinkmanship that was utilized in debate and the development of a response to debt ceiling crisis was an attachment of bells and whistles and all sorts of extraneous materials that were being applied in an inappropriate way. we needed to move forward in and address an order of crisis. america knows that, they understand, they play by the rules and i you pay your bills. but it was this attempt to weaken the process, it was an attempt to stall and delay and make a political statement at the expense of having our then credit rating down graded by s&p. so the outcome here was a devastating one. and, you know, it was really

unfortunate that, you know, we're not heeding the need out there. i believe the american public has been stating emphatically they want solutions. they want us to come up with a response to an economic crisis, they want to know how we're going to move forward with this idea economy, innovation economy, clean energy economy. they want to see us move toward energy independence, they want to see us addressing transformation of the economy. they want advanced manufacturing that requires training of workers, that begins with education investments. all of these things, they want to us develop solutions. they don't want paralysis, they don't want a divide, this great divide, they don't want the partisanship, they want partnership. they want solutions. we saw what happened when you could advance solutions in this house. you and i enjoyed the 111th congress and the productivity of that congress. and to have moved to this sort of paralysis is unacceptable. and the do-nothing republican congress is being watched very

carefully here and i believe that this coming election will be a very telling statement about rejecteding the sort of delay, the rejecting of the games being played, a rejecting of the disinvestment, a rejecting of the defunding and the dismissiveness of a role that government could and should play in very important areas. you ask these other economies out there, with which our american businesses compete, we're in an international race on innovation. much like the global race on space in the 1960's, when this country came together in resolve after a sputnik moment when they dusted off their backside and said, never again, and we're going to move forward and be the nation to stake that flag on the monday, -- moon, we won because we resolved to do it. we did it with great passion. we did it with intellect. we did it coming together as a people and we worked together as one nation. on this give day of 9/11 where

we reflect upon those tragedies, where our virtues as a nation, our liberties, our freedoms, our opportunities were challenged and threatened, numbed us for a moment but we came back with great resolve. let's show the passion here that we did in the 1960's to win that global race on space, let's invest, let's go forward, let's make certain we don't tie the hands of america behind their back and move forward and invest in an economy, in a race that is important to our efforts to maintain our leadership on the international scale. . mr. courtney: as moody's indicated, sequestration, january 1st, there is only one place where it can get resolved and that is in this room. there are ideas on the table which i think clearly show a middle ground, in fact, more than a middle ground as ways of

solving these problems. the president has put on the table an extension of the bush tax cuts for 98% of americans that would entirely protect their present tax status with no increase in taxes. the cliff will cause middle-class families to pay more if there is no action in this chamber. and it provides for 100% of all americans the extension of the bush tax cuts on income up to $250,000. any income above that would revert back to the clinton-era rates and that change would provide for deficit reduction for our country at a time when the structural deficit is scaring investors like moody's. this is a 98% deal in terms of protecting those existing tax cuts and 100% deal in terms of people's taxes.

mr. tonko: a point oftentimes lost, millionaires and billionaires would get their tax break on a first order of income, 250,000. you know what? what stands in the way, if we have to be totally frank here, they want to make certain that billionaires and millionaires get their tax breaks. you know what? we know what got us into the economic crisis. we had a tax cut millionaires and billionaires that was never paid for. fought two wars offline, offbudget. one of the first orders of business that the president wants to address is putting together an honest budget. didn't have the payment mechanism and you have to bring that cost of the war onto the budget. we need to move forward with a sound and reasonable approach to

economic relief. and the middle class has taken it on the chin and it's their turn. they need to be relieved. we need to invest in those orders of comeback that will empower our middle class and what i think what has been made here in the house is very legit. do what you can afford and keep the economy going, it is about aggregate demand for goods and services. if you strengthen the middle class and the thriving middle class, someone has to buy your product, make your product. if you empower the middle class, it's a formula for success. and as you point out, it is for 98% of the general public that will enjoy that empowerment and 98% of the small business community. there is a way to go forward with a reasonable approach that really speaks to that strata that needs the most assistance today.

mr. courtney: six nights ago we saw someone get on the floor in the convention in charlotte, north carolina and with great clarity explain exactly the points we are talking about here tonight. president bill clinton, someone who today enjoys a 69% approval rating, got on the floor of that convention. this is a guy while he was president, the public finances came into balance for over a generation. 22 million new jobs were created under his watch. if anyone has credit built on economic and fiscal policy in this country, it's president bill clinton and what we have talked about here tonight is about reverting the clinton-era rates on income above $250,000. that does not smother and punish success or our economy. those rates were in place when 22 million jobs were created in the u.s. economy in the 1990's.

and today, what's interesting is that mr. romney, the republican presidential candidate, is very careful not to criticize president clinton and tries indirectly to embrace him. he ought to embrace his positions on fiscal policy. because if he did, we could pass a bill on this floor in no time flat, defuse sequestration and get this country back on track more than just policies, but with a new infusion of confidence, both within our country and frankly in financial markets around the world that this place is capable of actually making some decisions that this place is actually capable of action. again, i think the former president's comments in charlotte were obviously a rock star -- got a rock star reception all across the country because that's what people are

hungry for, reasonable solutions coming from people who have demonstrated that they actually can administer and be good stewards of the u.s. economy. and i think that for the leadership of this chamber, the republican leadership of this chamber to ignore that type of compromise and reasonable approach to solving the fiscal problems we face today is frankly politically very dangerous. and again, if you really look closely at the romney campaign they are loathe to say anything about bill clinton and his time in the white house. they are very careful to avoid talking about his policies, which basically, president obama and the minority here, even with some significant modifications to accommodate the other side are prepared to move forward on. let's really -- i think, heed the advice he gave this country six nights ago and move forward

with these policies. mr. tonko: representative courtney, you talk about that event and when he made that presentation, he did a long-term review and shorter focus over the last couple of years, last term, first term of president obama. but when he talked about the track record over the last decade -- he talked about 28 years of republican leadership versus 24 years of democratic leadership, and he talked about the outcome and jobs. and said that under the republican watch, 22 million jobs were created, under the democratic watch, 42 million. he said let's look at the record. let's check the scorecard and did the short-term outcome of the president obama administration, talking about the number of jobs created and gave a zero to what the republicans were advancing in the house. it's pretty obvious that there

is this outcome of success. people constantly refer to the clinton years now, what happened there? well, we undone the surplus that was created and spent down on a tax cut that wasn't paid for, we fought two wars that weren't on-line with the budget. it's obvious. why would we give the keys back to someone who drove us into the ditch. this whole effort in this administration with 30 consecutive months of private sector job growth, asking for congress -- the president asking for congress to move forward with an agenda that has had obvious positive results, being denied and played with is not what the american people want. they want solutions. they are denied those solutions and the do-nothing republican congress has caused great pain and has denied progress for the comeback scenario that we so

desperately require and that the middle class and all of america so rightfully deserve. mr. courtney: thank you for taking the time tonight to set the record straight on a lot of these issues. bloomberg news did a fact check and gave it a clean bill of health. if you contrast that with the speeches in tampa and go to through some of the remarks that were analyzed and number of pants on fire lies and some of the comments that were made in tampa, there is a sharp contrast. i want to thank you for taking the time about reminding the people that there are items we can move forward on today. we could be in the house here at quarter of 9 at 9/11 and pass a farm bill and pass the postal farm bill and frankly deal with

the fiscal cliff and deal with -- solve what's obvious. the tools are there to fix these problems. thank you for your leadership and holding this session this evening. mr. tonko: thank you for your outstanding leadership. you have been there on the american jobs act. we know that there has been a formula for success driven by the president for the american jobs act. he has asked for congress to move forward. the senate has in a bipartisan way to move forward with efforts to address a middle-class tax cut. the president has asked us to complement that to move forward with investments in educators, allowing for teachers and class size to be addressed, making certain that our young people, our work force of the future are able to enjoy that

self-discovery, that sense of identity that they require in the classroom. what are their gifts, their passions, skills and talents. how can they best contribute their fabric to the american scene? that is part of the american dream. that is part of the investment that provides those underpinnings of support, that builds an economy with capital investment, physical investment, human infrastructure, human infrastructure investment. all of which are required in order to have the holistic response. and so when the american jobs act formula, the president is saying look, we grow in 30 months of consecutive, private-sector job growth and enabled the economy to come back pauferfully and investing in that order of business. but he has asked that that public sector element which has been reduced, that has offset some of the progress has reduced

some of the progress because of state capitals putting together their budgets, he said look, invest in educators, in public safety, in police officers, in firefighters, in emergency personnel on a day like today, where we humbly reflect upon the pain this nation endured, the loss of lives, nearly 3,000 people impacted at the pentagon, in a lonely field in pennsylvania and in metro new york. we are reminded most humbly, most sensitively, most lovingly of that dreadful moment and we saw how important our public safety elements are. our first responders critical to that situation. it showcases in very noble

measure, in a very painful, dark moment in our history what those role modelsr who they are. that's their every day work that was showcased in a very magnified way, but every day we reach to their skills, their talents, their strengths, the president is saying, invest in that public safety element, invest in our firefighters, in our police officers, in our emergency responders. he's asking for that in the american jobs act. we have done pieces of it but need to do the entire package to have the strength that this economy requires for its comeback. he talks about infrastructure improvement to an infrastructure bank that is part and parcel to the outcome, making certain that our infrastructure is strong and able to move our situation of a

comeback, commerce requires the shipping of freight. it needs the infrastructure, our communities require that our investment in infrastructure otherwise they go it the way of a property tax or less progressive tax structure. so we know what needs to be done and the denial here by the do-nothing republican congress is not acceptable. it's painful. it's immoral. it's insensitive, it's un-american. to put partisanship ahead of partnership is unacceptable. we know that the american spirit requires better than that. and so we need to respond to america's working families. we need to respond to the hope that ought to be delivered to the doorstep of families across this great nation. our history is replete with investment, investment to take us to new ages, new elements of

success, new impacts on the world scene. you know, earlier i had spoken of the mill towns that became epicenters of invention. it was their product delivery coming out of the mill towns, coming out of those 24-hour- a-day operations, not in just these nation states but around the world, people were lifted by discovery and product development in this nation. and as we move forward, we need to advance our manufacturing and invest in the research and innovation. i'm reminded of the outcomes that campuses within the 21st congressional district, mohawk valley, that i represent, incubators, that public and

private sector going on at labs in community colleges and working with our nanotechnology industry and advanced battery manufacturing, all of this requires a plan, a holistic plan that requires for the unleashing of talent and opportunity from the american public. . some invested in our future, throughout our noble history, throughout our growth as a nation, there were those who believed in america and invested in her people. we can ill afford to go back. we can only go forward as was made mentioned by the president and many of his administration that were speaking at the convention, many legislators who appeared at the convention and spoke about the agenda to constantly move forward, embracing the american dream in

the process. that american dream is what inspired so many a journey to this nation. we are in major fashion a exillation of journeys -- compilation of journeys. other than our native american sisters and brothers, it's the immigrant population that traveled to these shores, embracing that american dream. believing in a brighter tomorrow. understanding that if they put their mind and heart and soul to work, that better opportunities would be there, that they could climb the ladders of success. that they would not pull up those ladders when they reached the mountain top, but extend additional ladders to everyone, to climb that ladder of success until they reached that american dream. that has been the saga of this great nation. that has been the profoundness of this nation. the greatness of this nation. why would we change course now?

we saw what ill effects came of some bad policy or lack of sound stewardship of our resources. let's learn from that history, but let's also learn from the history of greatness where america struggled for -- through tough times, faced immense challenges but powerfully spoke in a way that engaged that american spirit and put it into policy format, resource advocacy and budgets that spoke to a soundness of a future for america. our best days lie ahead if we pursue that agenda that shows its belief and its promise in america's children and working families. the undeniable progress that we can make speaks boldly to us.

we've seen an administration reach out to this congress, asking for a partnership, a bipartisan response, one that will allow all of us to share in the great success that can follow. we've seen what happens when we go forward with some of the measures of progress ivity. we have a grid system that was challenged in as early as 2003 where we know there is a need for investing and the capacity of that system that was designed for regional utility matters and now we're wheeling electrons from region to region, from state to state to state and from nations to nations. we know that we have to step up to the plate and invest in that utility infrastructure. we know that there are deficiencies in our routine traditional infrastructure that requires our investment. we know that there's a need for energy transformation so tso

that we can grow with the american intellect, that intellectual capacity that enables us to provide for the innovation, the american independence, the american security that can be dealt with through reknubles and energy efficiency as our fuel of choice. and outstanding discoveries that can be made in a way that are most powerful. and research that equals jobs. we see it happening all around us. and it's not like we have the luxury to decide not to do it. we're in the midst of an international competition. and unlike the 1960's where it was u.s. vs. u.s.s.r., we're now with many more competitors on the international scene. and they are partnering with their governments, they are partnering in a way that provides research moneys, incubator space, higher ed communities that are growing in

leaping and -- leaps and bounds while we languish with a do-nothing republican congress that wants to promote delay, insert poison pills or just deny progress in a partisanship way that is not speaking to the american spirit that was imagined and planted by our founding parents. you know, tonight for this past hour we as democrats have enjoyed sharing our thoughts about what a productive congress could be in terms of shaping our future. what a productive congress komine to fairness and justice and equitable opportunity for generations to come. our children are watching, they're measuring our actions much more than by our words but more so by the achievements that

we can assess. they're watching carefully. and we need to move forward in a way that finds us working together to build consensus. when we insert the we in us it is much more powerful than the me in us. this house has had great moments when they've rolled up their sleeves as members and have come to the table and said, america beckons. her people need that sort of response. true leadership will move forward in a way that allows us to enjoy the taste of success. tonight, as week of talked about the paralysis that has gripped this house, as we talk about the denial that has been part of the outcome, that has been demeaning

and destructive at times, i reach to the assessment by very nonpartisan congressional scholars, in this case thomas mann and norman orn seen it. they have been over the years very much bipartisan in their criticism and critiquing of the behavior in congress. i just want to quote from their report. in our past writings, we have criticized both parties when we believed it was warranted. today however we have no choice but to acknowledge that the core of the problem lies with the republican party. the g.o.p. has become an insurgent outliar in american politics. it is ideologically extreme, scornful of compromise, unmoved by conventional understanding of facts, evidence and science and

dismissive of the legitimacy of its political opposition. tonight i will close with that statement because i think it's a challenge. it's a challenge to us to forget about the unproductive nature of the last several months and move forward with a newfound order of resolve that will enable us to acknowledge that some of the greatest moments in american history came with some of her darkest hours. where with that regard, that true american spirit we were able to rise to the occasion, reach to the best intellect and the best temperament of this nation as she came together in an order of consensus and where our best days followed that sort of agreement. we can build upon success, we

can learn from history, the soundness of history that saw us respond and rise to the crushing situations that grip this nation. and move forward with a sense of greatness, a sense of accomplishment, a sense of fairness and empowerment and most importantly a delivery of hope for the doorsteps of individuals and families across this great nation. america's greatest moments are truly lying ahead if we can embark upon that challenge before us. with that, mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new york for a motion. mr. tonko: mr. speaker, i move that the house do stand adjourned.

the speaker pro tempore: the question is on the motion to adjourn. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. the motion is adopted. accordingly the house stands adjourned until 10:00 a.m. tomorrow for morning hour debasement >> the house today -- the measure now goes to the senate. later in the week, bills to set spending for the new fiscal year that starts at the end of this month and continuing the new 2008 law. >> in four weeks, the first of the presidential debates live on c-span, c-span radio, and c- span.org.

coming up, the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. we start with a moment of silence at the white house. that is followed by a ceremony at the pentagon, ground zero in new york, and that the capital. the teacher strike in chicago is in its third day. we are asking if you think teachers should be allowed to strike. we heard on facebook a person said yes. visit facebook.com/c-span to let us know what you think. "washingtonn compa journal" will talk about the

economy and upcoming elections. we will hear from tim ryan on the economy. "washington journal" live at 7:00 a.m. eastern here on c- span. as the nation marks the 11th anniversary of the september 11 attacks, president obama and the first lady and the white house staff gathered on the lawn of the white house in a moment of silence.

[camera shutters] [bell rings]

[bugle plays]

[camera shutters]

>> president obama honor the victims of the attack at a ceremony at the pentagon. the former secretary leon panetta also took part in the ceremony. this is a replay.

>> at this time, president barack obama accompanied by mrs. michelle obama, secretary leon panetta, and general dempsey and mrs. dempsey will pay special tribute to the allies lost on september 11, 2001 by wreath on the pentagon memorial.

♪ [bugle plays slow, mournful song]

>> please direct your attention to the pentagon a moral flagpole to your right. in honor of page today and in remembrance of the 184 lives lost at the pentagon, the flag is flying at half staff. ladies and gentlemen, the national anthem of the united states. ♪

[playing "the star-spangled benneranner"] >> ladies and gentleman, the united states army chief of chaplain, major general. >> let us pray. remember the events of september

11, 2001. pray for all of those who greek today. for those who witnessed and survived the attack -- pray for all of those who grieve today. for those who witnessed and survived the attack, on a day when the worst visited our nation, our spirits were inspired what we saw at grand 0 and at the pentagon. we pray for the men and women who have been called to defend our country both at home and abroad. inspired by their legacy, we ask for continued courage and strength in spirit to faithfully serve our military and our nation. we are thankful that in our time of loss, you have not abandoned us to our grief.

help us so that we may do your work, peace and justice, offering forgiveness and building community. hear us, lord god, in your holy name we pray. amen. >> a mamen. >> 11 years ago, the pentagon was attacked. please join us in observing a moment of silence to remember those who have perished.

the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, general martin dempsey. >> mr. president, mrs. obama, mr. secretary, distinguished guests, good morning and thank you for being here. we offer a special welcome to the family and friends of those we lost on these grounds 11 years ago today. one of them was a chief. it's memorial sits in the last row in front of me from the far right. he served as a marine in vietnam, fighting helicopters. after the war, he became a social studies teacher and a national guard. he served in the first gulf war pilot.edev

"he opened upid, my eyes and my heart to the world." and many others were inspired by his example and became teachers, firefighters, and several fault him into the life of the military. he retired -- and followed him into the life of the military. he retired. in the middle of the kiosk, he stopped to help someone. the wreck thousands like him that day. it reminds us that life takes on the meaning. in the end, we become what we are through some cause we make our own. september 11 will always stand apart from other days, not because of what we say about service and sacrifice, occurred and character, of course it is all of those things, but also because of what those things say about all of us, all americans.

as we remembered the lives that ended here and all who perished in new york and in pennsylvania, let us commit ourselves to the ideals for which they lived and in which they believed. let us also honored the generation that have inspired to step forward and defend our nation. it is a generation that fought in iraq and still fight in afghanistan. let us dedicate our own lives to giving back to our great nation. as one of our nation possibly%, the strength of our democracy has always rested on the willingness of those who believe in its volume and the will to serve to give something back to this country. it is my privilege to introduce to you the man who spoke those words and lives them every day, our secretary of defense, leon panetta. [applause] >> mr. president, mrs. obama,

general dempsey, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, and in particular the family members who lost a loved one here on 9/11. 11 years ago, on a morning very much like this, a terrorist attack the symbols of american- trained. -- american strength. they took the lives of citizens from more than 90 countries. it was the worst terrorist attack on america in our history. today people gather across the

united states and around the world to remember the tragic events of 9/11. some take part in ceremonies like this. others spent time in quiet reflection and prayer. all of us take a moment to remember again where we were at that fateful moment. here together as one family, we'd pause to honor, prayed, and to remember 184 lives lost at the pentagon. more than 2700 killed in lower manhattan. and the many who perished in the field in pennsylvania on flight 93. these victims' families

remember those who were lost -- mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters. the family members your today know that the entire nation, the entire nation joins you in mourning for the loss of your loved ones. we are honored by your presence. just as your loved ones are heroes for ever, so are all of you. today we recognize any member of their heroes, the first responders who rushed to the scenes behind me and into the fire and chaos to save lives and help in any way possible. we owe all of you a very special debt. we appreciate what you did to provide aid and comfort to those who needed it so badly. our thoughts also turned to the survivors.

on that right, sunny tuesday morning, you reported to work with no idea about the tragedy that lay ahead. suddenly it this building was rocked by an explosion. after the impact, many of you risked your lives to help others. many can remember the smell of the rubble and jet fuel. some of you knew the victims as office mates and friends and new their families -- knew their families. and nation at peace suddenly found itself at war. for all of you and for every american, this memorial is a permanent place for prayer and for remembrance. it is a fitting tribute to the

lives of those so cruelly taken from us, the passengers and crew of flight 77, the military and the personnel working here at the pentagon, it is a fitting tribute to all of those who were lost. yesterday i had the opportunity to visit another memorial. the flight 93 memorial in shanksville. i was reminded of those horrible moments after the hijacking and the passengers and crew were able to make frantic calls to speak to their loved ones for the last time. they knew what was at stake, yet they decided to fight back. together they took swift and decisive action to stop yet another attack targeted at a

nation's capital. that spirit of determination and courage is the enduring legacy of 9/11. it inspires our nation. it inspires our military to ensure that such an attack will never happen again. it inspires us to never forget those who have perished and to defend our homeland and armored ideals -- our ideals. to send a message to our enemies that no one attacks the united states of america and gets away with it. today, we also recall that out of the shock and sadness of 9/11 came a new sense of unity and resolve that this would not happen again. it inspired a fierce determination to fight back and

to protect our way of life. in trying to attack our shrin trengths, the terrorists unleased our greatest strangtenh -- the willingness to fight for our country. a generation stepped forward what to serve in uniform and fight this war on terrorism. they bled on distant battlefields. the relentlessly pursued those who would do us harm. they put their lives on the line to give all of us a safer and better future, and to bring those behind the attacks to justice. because of their sacrifices, because they were willing to fight and to die, because of their dedication our nation is

stronger and safer today than on 9/11. we never give up the search for bin laden. we successfully brought him to justice. we decimated the leadership of al qaeda. we have them on the run. we have made it difficult for them to plan and conduct another 911 at tak. -- 9/11 attack. we will continue to fight them in yemen, and north africa, wherever they go to make sure that they have no place to hide. our troops denied safe haven to al qaeda and its allies in afghanistan. they are fighting so that afghanistan can secure and govern itself. make no mistake, we will continue to pursue and fight our enemies wherever they go and where they hide.

we will never stop until we have made sure that america is safe. on this day of solemn remembrance, let us renew a solemn pledge to those who died on 9/11 and their families. it is a pledge that we make to all of those who have put their lives on the line and paid a heavy price for the last 11 years of work. our pledge is to keep fighting for a safer and a stronger future. our pledge is to ensure that america always remains a government of and by and for all people. that legacy makes clear that no one, no one who died on that terrible day 11 years ago died in vain.

they died for a stronger america. this morning we are honored by the presence of armed military and civilian leaders. we are particularly honored by the president and mrs. obama. this president has led our efforts in this fight. i am honored to serve with him. it is now my great honor to introduce our commander in chief. ladies and gentlemen, president barack obama. [applause] >> secretary panetta, general dempsey, members of our armed forces, and most importantly the families, michelle and i are humbled to join you on this

solemn anniversary. today, remember a day that began like so many others. ride to school and commutes to work. and quiets na moments. it was a day like this one -- a blue sky that would soon be filled with smoke and prayers of a nation shaken to its core. even now years later, it is easy to close our eyes and find ourselves back there, back here when grief crashed over us like an awful wave and when americans are your help each other tight and seeking the reassurance that the world we know was not crumbling under

our feet. 11 times we have marked 911 come and gone. 11 times we have paused in remembrance and reflection and in purpose. -- 11 times we have marked 9/11 come and gone. this is very difficult for those who have lost their lives. mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, sons, and daughters. there were taken far too soon. the rest of us cannot imagine the pain you have endured. we will never fully understand how difficult it has been for you to carry on and to summon the strength to rebuild your lives.

no matter how many years past, no matter how many times we come together, know this -- you will never be alone. your loved ones will never be forgotten. they will indoor in the hearts of our nation. -- endure in the hearts of our nation. our america has emerged even stronger. many of the americans we lost did not know a small band of terrorists could do such harm. most of them have never heard of the name "al qaeda." it is because of their sacrifice we have dealt a crippling blow to the organization that brought evil to our shores. al qaeda's leadership has been devastated. osama bin laden will never threaten us again. our country is safer.

our people are resilient. it is true that the majority of those who died on september 11 had never put on our country's uniform, and yet they have inspired more than 5 million americans to wear that uniform over the last decade. these men and women have done everything that we have asked. today, the war in iraq is over. in afghanistan, we are training forces and forging a partnership with the afghan people. by the end of 2014, the longest war in our history will be over. meanwhile, countless of civilians have opened up the hearts to our troops, military families, and veterans. immoral services were held for -- memorial services were held.

the tragedy brought us together. our fight is with the al qaeda and its affiliates and not with islam or any other religion. this country was built as a beacon of freedom and tolerance. has made a strong, now and forever. when those innocent souls were taken from us, they left an unfulfilled work and tasks that remain undone. when others sought to bring this country down, we chose to build it up with a remembrance. scripture tells us to not to be vercome by evil, but overcome evil with good. we must discover the best in ourselves. this anniversary allows us to

renew our faith. even the darkest night gives way to a brighter dawn. we come to the pentagon and .ouch the names and kneel we can visit the field of honor in pennsylvania and not remember the heroe -- and remember the heroes. even though we may never be able to fully lift the burden of those left behind, we know that someone somewhere out there is right up with their mother's eyes, living reminders that they are still with us. painful as the state is and always will be, it leaves us

with the lesson that no single event can ever-story who we are. no act -- painful as this date is and always will be, it leaves us with the lesson that no single event can ever destroy who we are. that is the commitment that we are from today. when history books are written, the true legacy of 9/11 will not be one of hate or division. it will be a safer world and stronger nation of people more united than ever before. god bless the memories of those we have lost. god bless the united states of america. [applause]

♪ [playing "america the beautiful"] >> in new york city, families and friends honor to honor their loved ones were the world trade center twin stars once stood. the names of the victims were read out loud, along with six moments of silence marking when

the towers were struck and when the towers fell and when the pentagon was attacked and one flight 93 crashed in pennsylvania. up next, a 15-minute portion. ... ... [bagpipes playing] ♪

>> andrew anthony. marie rose. lauren christoper. vincent paul. william abraham. paloma abraham. richard anthony. christain adam. patrick adam. donald leroy adam. steven george adam.

terrence edward jr. lee adler. joseph angelo. david scott agnes. brian g. ahern. and my husband, patrick. we miss you on sunday mornings when you would wake us for breakfast. we miss that. you would get the table

ready with the best china possible. we miss that. we love you. you are gone, but you'll never be forgotten. may god bless your soul. >> and maybe a full brother, michael beautiful brother, michael. >> terrence andrea akin. gary m. albero. john leslie albert. peter brett alderman. david g. alger. edward l. allegretto.

joseph ryan allan. richard l. allan. janet murray alonso. anthony alvarado. victoria alveres. and my brother, chris. we love and miss you.

our family would like to express our gratitude to the rescuers. our friends and family have supported us all these years and the untimilitary to keep a safe. god bless us all. >> and my son, paul. paul, you are a shining star. we love you and miss you very much. we will never forget you. thank you. >> paul w. ambrose. craig scott amonsun. [reading names]

michael andrew. david lawrence angel. mary angel. peter paul appollo. frank thomas. lewis arena. michael j. armstrong. >> and my dad.

love you and miss you. >> and my father. >> joshua todd arran. -- arron. michael edward asher. thomas j. ashton. greg a. atlas. ading names]

andrew j. bailey. breet t. bailey. -- brett t. bailey. >> and my uncle. my brother and i missed meeting for 10 days. i feel like i know him because my family talked about him a lot. he was a happy and fun-loving likeho loved skiing jus tlikt i do. we miss you and love you. >> and my uncle and aunt.

>> gerard baptiste. [reading names] matthew barnes. patricia barnes. diane jean barry.

[reading names] jasper baxter. >> and my father. >> and my brother, james. i would like to dedicate the broken chain to all of our lost loved ones, especially my brother. immy, you didn't know that morning that god would call your name. we miss him, but you didn't go alone. you left many memories and your

love is still our guide. even though we cannot see you, you are always by our side. our family tree is broken and nothing is the same. as god calls us one by one, the chain will link again. love you, jimmy. >> michelle biel. todd beemer. [reading names] maria a. bear.

debbie s. fellows. ryan craig bennet. oliver bennett. james patrick berger. steven howard berger. daniel david berkstein. michelle j. berkeley. >> and my uncle. we miss you. >> and my husabnd. -- husband. the boys are starting college.

and daisy, i love you. >> david w. bernard. william h. bernstein. david m. burray. [reading names] timothy d. betterlee.

[reading names] mark bingham. gary eugene bird. george john bishop. christopher joseph blackwell. susan lee bear.

and my cousin. we miss you and think about you every day. >> and my sister-in-law. [bell ring]

>> house speaker john boehner and minority leader nancy pelosi and harry reid and mitch mcconnell took part in the ceremony at the capitol honoring the victims of 911. the ceremony was held on the same site congressional members gathered to sing " " god bless america" in september 2001.

>> members of the house and senate, capitol police, staff, thank you for joining us today to mark the 11th anniversary of the events of september 11, 2001. i invite everybody in the singing of our national anthem. >> ♪ oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light what so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming? whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight o'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming? and the rocket's red glare

the bombs bursting in air gave proof through the night that our flag was still there oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave o'er the land of the free ♪ and the home of the brave ♪ [applause]

>> let us pray. god of heaven and earth, we give you thanks for giving us another day. today we remember a day begun in terror and violence, and ended in heroic effort and courage. we mourn those whose lives were snatched from them and which comfort to those left behind and who strive to cope with their loss. may you, oh god, give them peace and healing. we thank you again for the almost universal, international response to a great american tragedy which all the world recognized as theirs as well. all your children could see the horror of actions by men who

would presume to act in your name, causing so much death and destruction. may your spirit of truth and peace and justice continue to fill the hearts of people of all faiths, races, nations. help us to recognize your creative love in the lives of all who share this beautiful planet. be present with us today as we gather on our capitol steps. bless the men and women that served this great nation and those that serve in the senate and house of representatives. united then and united today in our shared citizenship, they have been given great responsibility by their fellow americans. may their show of unity do what is best for the united states.

may they be confident in the knowledge that all americans stand behind them in a common effort to forge legislation that will reflect the greatness of our nation, in building a vibrant economy into a safe and secure future. may all that is done this day and the many days to come be for your greater honor and glory. amen. >> amen. >> today we come together once again to remember and to reflect with reverence and with respect. whenever we speak of september 11, 2001, we tread on sacred ground.

on this anniversary, the thoughts of our nation remain with the innocent americans that we lost, with the first responders who arrived on the scene to rescue others, and stayed at ground zero to search for survivors and remains. our solemn pledge remains clear -- to never forget those who perished on 9/11, to give voice to those who vanished. to honor our men and women in uniform from world war ii. time will not dim the glory of their deeds. the same could be said of their families. they channel their grief into

action to make america safer. their commitment of time has given all of us strength and made our country stronger. time will never dim the memory of those who perished. in moments of pain and anguish. it will never dim the american people's spirit in the wake of the attacks. time will never diminish the courage of all of the first responders. country will continue to stand by them. in deed as well as in word. time has left the memories of 9/11 emblazoned on our hearts more than a decade. on this anniversary and in the years to come, time will continue to tell the true story of 9/11 as the 9/11 families turned a national tragedy into a time of unity.

our country came together with resolve and with hope. may god bless the families and children again and again and may god continue to bless the united states of america. >> more than a decade later, most of us still remember 9/11 like it was yesterday. the initial confusion, the horrifying realizations of what was happening, the watching, the waiting, the grief, the anger, the resolve. would it weaken us in the world? would it weaken us at home?

would we stand up? would we shrink? 11 years later we can say with certainty and pride that 9/11 did not reveal the weakness of america. 9/11 revealed the greatest of america. we didn't have to wait very long to see it. the first moment after the attacks, we saw the courage of the first responders. in the days and weeks that followed, we saw the goodness and generosity of the volunteers who descended on new york. as the months turned into years, monuments were dedicated, might buildings rose again at the world trade center site, and

we have watched as some money has stepped forward cents 9/11 d forward since the 9/11 attacks to serve in the military and intelligence community. we honor them today, too. america is a safer place. many who were responsible for the 9/11 attacks have been killed or captured. there is little doubt that ours is the greatest fighting forced the world has ever known. out of a great evil we have seen greatness and goodness from our country and from our countrymen. that is why we can mark this solemn anniversary not simply with pain, sorrow, but with a renewed pride in our nation and

that unbending confidence and the goodness of its people. in her darkest hours, america has always summon the courage and strength to persevere and to prevail. we now know 9/11 was no different. here is why. we believe that every person counts. that is what we're still haunted by the faces of those who died, by the hopes and dreams that were extinguished. by the families and french ships -- friendships that were shattered 11 years ago. that is why we're determined to vindicate their lives -- by the families and friendships that were shattered 11 years ago. we testified to our shared belief that each and every one of them was irreplaceable.

we renew our commitment to live our lives worthy of their memory. we pledged once again to do what it takes to keep americans saved from those who still wish to do us harm. >> it was 11 years ago today on a crystal clear morning much like today that terrorists attacked our nation. their attack wasn't just on airplanes, our buildings. it was an attack against the american spirit. an assault on freedom and democracy. they were determined to take lives and to break our nations will. all the violence turned our lives upside-down. it brought us together as a nation in the fight against terror. in the years since, we have crippled al qaeda.

our nation has begun to heal. we will never forget the bright september morning. we will never forget the thousands of innocent souls lost in new york, pennsylvania, and virginia. we will not forget the rescue workers or the sacrifice of the brave men and women of our man's armed forces, state department, intelligence committee who have made the world safer. determination carry us through those dark days. we will not forget the way carnation fallback against the fear --we will not for get the way our nation fought back.

>> cardinal edward egan talks about going to st. vincent's hospital that morning. he found itself standing with two doctors. one of them was visibly shaken. if family members of his was in the towers on a high floor. the cardinal passed the young doctor if he would like to go somewhere and talk. the doctor said, no, i'm a doctor and this is my place. everyone in their ground --

everyone stood their ground. everyone stood their place. the patriots who banded together in the sky over shanksville to save this capital and these steps. the volunteers who raised their hands and said, "i will go and i will fight overseas in perilous conditions." the good samaritans who lined up to give blood and ask, what can i do? and people on their knees in prayers. everybody kept their place. that is the heart and core of the american people.

that is the bond which lies beneath our daily lives. every generation through hard sacrifice preserved the blessings of liberty and freedom. if we falter, it will be because we forgot we lost in hardship. -- what we learned in hardship. today we listened and we vow never to forget. to carry on to meet the on that challenges -- to meet the unmet challenges. we are americans and this is our place.

join me in a moment of silence for those that we honor and remember today. let us bow for the benediction. may the memory of 9/11 remind us you are our refuge and strength, a very present help in the time of trouble. therefore we will not fear, though the earth be removed and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.

may our gratitude for your assistance in providence motivate us to stride for greater unity, to be more aware of our mortality, and to work to leave this world better than we found it. continue to bless and keep us, make your face to shine upon us, and be gracious unto us. lift the light of your confidence on to us and give us your peace now and always. we pray in your sovereign name,

amen. >> amen. >> please join me in saying "god bless america." >> ♪ god bless america land that i love stand beside her and guide her through the night with a light from above from the mountains to the prairies to the oceans white with foam god bless america my home sweet home god bless america my home sweet home ♪

[applause] >> this concludes today's ceremony. thank you for coming. ♪ [patriotic music plays] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] the viewers have commented on the 9/11 anniversary on twitter.

rally sound wrote -- jess c sent the tweet -- kenny wrote -- >> the first of the presidential debates, live on c-span. sis and radio and c-span.org. what engage. that we join republican presidential candidate mitt romney as he addresses the national guard association convention in reno, nevada. that is followed by former president bill clinton campaigning for president obama in miami. >> i like washington journal. i like the sessions of congress. it is the closest thing to unfiltered news there is. maybe the last version of

unfiltered news on the air. washington journal is very good. i like how the hosts ask a wide range of questions. also because you take questions from callers. i think it helps facilitate and engage in it. people at home. i am baffled other -- networks, to not take your example it is -- do not take your example and try to cover it. it is a wonderful example request joe pommard watches c- span on charter communications. -- wonderful example. joe palmer watch c-span on charter communications. mitt romney marked the 9/11 anniversary addenda speeches to the national guard in reno, nevada. he spoke about ending the u.s. mission in afghanistan he talks

of his experience 11 years ago. and those who lost their lives responded to evil and heinous attack. from the national guard association convention, this is 20 minutes. >> thank you so much. major general, thank you for your generous introduction. thank you for your years of service as chairman of the board and for your decades of service to our nation. ladies and gentlemen of the national guard association, it is an honor to be with you on this day of memorial and the appreciation. we remember with heavy hearts the tragic loss of life and express think less for the men and women who responded to that tragedy. we honor them and we honor those to secure our safety even to this day.

we honor the men and women of the national guard. for 375 years whenever your countrymen have accounted threat and danger, you have willingly gone whatever the cause of freedom has called, you have answered. and threats of liberte -- have served far from home and far from family. the nation has asked much of view, much more than expected but you never faltered. from that motto -- always ready, always there. several weeks ago, i saw the guard in action in louisiana after it was hit by hurricane isaac. for many in the gulf who were just getting back to normal after katrina, the damage from isaac felt like to much to bear. as i toured the flooded streets, i was not surprised to find the guard keeping order. distributing water and supplies. and caring for many of those who

had been evacuated and rescue. time and again, it is in the guardsmen and that is lifted a child from rising waters and has fed and clothed americans who've -- whose homes have been lost. it is a garden to cost about hussein -- guardsman who took out some hussein -- sadaam hussein. thank you for that service. [applause] our world is a dangerous place. the attack and -- on our homeland in citizens on the 9/11 and reminds us that the mission of the guard is ever more critical and ever more deserving of our support and honor. more than a decade has now passed since that day of tragedy but the visions and the

events are seared in the memory of every american. remember those who died. we marvel of the courage of those who stormed the cockpit when they became aware of the malevolent purpose of the hijackers. we hold up in prayer the families and friends of live in a shadow cast by grief. we draw strength from the selflessness of the first responders and we renew our resolve to protect america from the designs of evil men. like you, i remember where i was on 9/11. i was originally planning to be in battery park in new york city, not far from the world trade center. as it turned out, i was in washington, d.c. to meet with members of congress about preparations for the security of the upcoming olympic winter games. a colleague and i were working in the office we had in the ronald reagan building, a few

blocks to the white house. someone rushed into our office and said that a plane had hit the world trade as the world trade center. i turned on a small tv on our desk and watched in shock as the flames and smoke erupted from the north tower. i called my wife. she too washed the tragedy from her to be in word -- and wondered how a plane could fly into a building at that the clear daylight. the we saw the second plane crashed into the second tower. these were purposeful at tax. these were terrorists attacks. these were evil and cowardly and heinous attacks. leaving the city, i drove toward alexandria. the highway i was on came within a few hundred yards of the pentagon would have been hit by then. cars were stopped were the work and people got out, watching in horror. i could smell burning fuel, concrete and steel. it was the smell of war,

something i never imagined i would smell in america. the each were overwhelmed by the enormity of the loss of life. we struggle to comprehend the magnitude of what this meant for the families of those with been killed and for our own families. for our nation. for the world. for some, there was also anger and grief and anger soon turned to action and among those taking the lead were members of the national guard. members of the guard secured our airports and borders and members of the guard began to mobilize, to deploy half a world away for you would become all too dim earlier but the amount of the hindu kush and the streets of fallujah. guardsmen and women have helped keep us safe and the nation owes you. i wish i could say the world is

less dangerous now, less chaotic. i wish i could predict with certainty the threats we will face in the years ahead. but on september 10, 2001, we had no idea that america would be at war in afghanistan some day. in december of 2010, we had no idea the a tunisian street vendor would inspire a revolution that would topple three dictators. we live in a time of turbulence and disruption. what i can say with certainty is that we need the national guard 's tillich and strength now as much as ever before. with less than two months ago, before election day, i would normally speak to a gathering like this between -- about the differences between my and my opponent's plan for national security. there is a time and place for that. but this day, is not that.

it is a day to express gratitude for the men and women who fought in who are still fighting to protect us and our country, including those who faced the trail of tailored to that -- who traced the world of terror to a lullaby and delivered justice to osama bin laden -- the world of andror to islamabad delivered just to osama bin laden. this also a day where we can hopefully gray on important things. this century must be an american century. it began with terror, war and economic calamity. it is now our duty to steer on to the path of freedom, peace, and prosperity.

america must lead the free world and the free world must lead the entire world. in our dealings -- [applause] cut into the dealings we have with other nations, we must demonstrate confidence in our cause, clarity in our purpose, and result in the application of our military might. for this to be an american century, we must have a military that is second to none, that is so strong and no one would ever think of testing it. [applause] american military power is vital to the preservation of our own security and for the preservation of peace around the world. time and again, america's

military has been the best ally of liberte and peace. american forces rest europe price. american forces rescured europe twice. america's military leads the fight against terrorism and secures the global commons. while the war in iraq is over, nearly 70,000 american troops will still remain in afghanistan at the end of the month. our goal should be to complete a successful transition to afghan security forces by the end of 2014. we should evaluate conditions on the ground and solicit the best advice of our military commanders. we can all agree that our men and women in the field deserve a clear mission, they deserve the resources and resolute leadership they need to complete that mission and the country that will provide for their needs when they come home.

[applause] the return of our troops cannot and must not be used as an excuse to hollow out our military to devastating defense budget cuts. [applause] it is true that our armed forces have been stretched to the brink and that is all the more reason to repair and rebuild. we can always find places to end waste but we cannot cancel program after program or jeopardize critical missions or cut corners in the quality of the equipment and training will provide to our men and women in uniform.

when our troops come home, they should not have to struggle to find work. after all our veterans have done for us, they deserve the opportunity to find good jobs. and the dignity of pursuing the american dream. [applause] we also have to keep the faith with our veterans. no matter when or where they have served, after a strong va system. when the backlog for disability claims reaches nearly 1 million, when a federal building in virginia becomes structurally unstable because so many claims have filed up, we can all agree the system is in need of serious and urgent reform. and it is. [applause]

our veterans deserve care and benefits that are second to none garrett there is considerable work waiting to be done. the backlog of disability claims these to be eliminated. unconscionable wait from mental- health treatment need to be dramatically shortened and the suicide rate among active-duty soldiers and veterans must be treated like the emergency it is. veterans' benefits are not a gift that is given. but a debt that is due. [applause] the problem with the va are serious and they have to be fixed. we are in danger of another danger -- generation of veterans losing their faith in the system so we must ensure the va keeps the faith with our veterans. we must keep our promises and regain the trust of all those who have served our country. when i was governor of

massachusetts, i saw firsthand the guards bravery and valor. in 2006, i visited iraq and afghanistan along with two other governors. we met with members of the national guard from our respective states. we were flung from hecopter by -- by helicopter from base to base. i said to them if they wanted me to call their spouse or family when i got home, i would be happy to do that. when i left for home, i thought i had 63 notes in my pocket. 63 calls to make. i knew mckeon that many calls would take quite a few days or weeks. -- i knew that making that many calls would take quite a few days or weeks. after i made only about two or wife calls, a guardsmen's answered the phone and said oh

hello governor, i thought i might be calling. a barely the first spouse's i called a called other spouse's or they e-mail their loved ones in iraq and afghanistan who then e-mail and their spouses back home to tell them to expect my call. so i made 63 calls on memorial day. [applause] you will remember that may of 2006 was a difficult time in the iraq war. many of you know that from experience. you were suffering terrible casualties. and terrorism was draining our efforts to stand up the iraq meet -- iraqi government. politics back home had become very deeply divided. as i made those calls, i braced myself for questions about why

the guardsmen i had met could not come home right away. why were they still there? and yet in 63 calls, i did not hear a single complaint. not one. on each call, i would and i expressed my gratitude on behalf of our nation and my state for the sacrifice of their loved one and of their family. these individual and in harm's way. from virtually everyone i spoke with, they will correct me to say instead that it was an honor to be able to sacrifice for america. and deserve the greatest nation on earth. -- an to serve the greatest nation on earth. [applause] such is the patriotism of the men and women and families of our national guard.

many of those calls left me with tears in my eyes. i will never forget meeting the brave men and women who had volunteered for the national guard in massachusetts. who found themselves on the front lines in iraq and afghanistan. i will never forget speaking with their loved ones and i will always hold the greatest admiration for every one of them. on the campaign trail, it has been my privilege to meet with troops and veterans from just about every corner of america. they come from our farms, our great cities, our small towns and quiet neighborhoods. many have known violence. so their neighbors could no peace. they have done more than protect america. their courage and service to find the america -- defines america. [applause]

on this 11th anniversary of september 11th, 2001, we remember the victims who perished in the attacks. we also remember the men and women serving in dangerous places around the world. we will not forget why they are fighting for who they are fighting for. they are faithful to us and to our country. we must not break faith with them. i want to personally thank you for keeping us safe, to be into the company of men and women of courage i stand before today -- is an honor to be among those whose sense of duty and love of country list our hearts and our spirits. we are blessed to live in a country where freedom is a highly cherished, where it is so

spiritually protected and where it is so admirably defended by the noble men and women of the national guard. i respect you. i admire you. our respect and admire the men and women who serve with you. you are a great force for good in america and the world. our debt of gratitude can never be repaid except by saying god bless you, god bless the united states of america, and got was the great people of the national guard. -- and god bless the great people of the national guard. thank you so much. [applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012]

>> governor romney, thank you so much for joining us today. we hope you will continue to make the nation's defense and security a key part of your campaign. as a memento to this occasion, of a like to present you with this special coin of the national guard association of the united states, especially put together for this conference. we give it to you with our gratitude. thank you for being with us. >> thank you, major general. thank you. [applause]

♪ >> we will be in recess until the separate sections tomorrow morning at 08:00. the third business session will be here be10:30 hours. we will be presenting awards and conducting some important position business, including announcing the winners of the election into the rest of your day. if you have already, please visit the trade show. we stand in recess until tomorrow.

>> president obama is back on the campaign trail this week with visits to nevada and colorado. tomorrow, his other grass-roots campaign event in las vegas. we will be live with the president starting with8:25 eastern on c-span2. former president bill clinton campaigned for president obama in miami on tuesday, part of it today trip to florida.

he camp in orlando on wednesday. from florida international university, this is 40 minutes. tenant carol the and other hand for his service as a firefighter -- lieutenant hand.l another all those is bork before me represent something good about america and the acting president obama has tried to support -- all those who spoke before me represent something good about america and i think something president obama has tried to support. all of these people present the idea of citizenship and service. garcia to thank joe

for being here, all of the other elected officials. the obama campaign volunteers. and the president of fiu. [applause] this school, vicky thousand strong -- 50,000 strong, is the largest number of graduates from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds in the stem field in the united states. all this represents the best of america. i believe on this 11th anniversary of 9/11, this is the first public event i have participated in on this day in more than a decade. it was -- that was unrelated to that date. but this day is about citizenship. on that day, i was in australia

and president bush arranged for me to fly home. so that all americans could be together. -- hat day, my wife's everybody relax. on that day, my wife was a senator from new york with the world trade center towers were. [applause] on that day, our doctor was a 21-year-old -- our daughter was a 21-year-old young woman working in york city in lower manhattan and one is -- and was one of the thousands of people to walk north and could not find her. on that day, the chaplain of the new york city fire department and a friend of mine was killed along with a number of other people we knew.

i decided to come here on this day because i think if you looked around at how this day is being honored, it is being honored by service products all over america. by people try to be good citizens. you just have 27 days to register to vote of that the florida. there are volunteers here today who will register you to vote. where are they? raise your hand. [applause] you can go online at gotta register.com. i like that. slang online. this is really important. you want to honor the people who

have warned the country's uniform, who have hot -- come home bearing the wounds of war who need help finding jobs and education and housing. who may need years of help because of the staggering number of people with post-traumatic stress syndrome or paying -- or brain injuries. be a good citizen. the lease we can do is show up a vote. when people try to discourage you from voting which is happening in a lot of these vote changes all over america, is to redouble your determination to vote. [applause] i will never forget when i was in cleveland running for president 20 years ago and a magnificent minister named otis moss who became a very good

friend of mine and was very active in the civil-rights movement described the first day his father was legally eligible to vote. the equivalent of all of these new barricades was basically jacking african-americans around and sending them to different places to vote. he said his father waited all his life for this day. first went to one place and is that i am sorry, your at the wrong place. he did not have a car. yet to walk. so he walked. even though it took him two hours. the next place, they said i am sorry, you are at the wrong place. and yet to what another two hours. then he had to stand in a long line when they finally got there, he said you are at the right place but we're close in the polls at 7:00. and otis moss looked out at the crowd and said the happiest day of my life was when i took my

daughter to vote with me when she was first eligible and walked into the voting booths together and i pulled the curtain. before i voted, i put my ear to the edge until i could hear her pull the voting levers. [applause] he said, in my family, we do not miss voting. we are there every time the polls are open. [applause] so i say to all of you here, you need to talk to your friends about this -- i keep reading that young people are not quite as sure as there were four years ago if they are going to vote. i tried to argue down in charlotte next week that that is a bad mistake. we have a lot of reasons to

vote and we have a good candidate to vote for. and we need to get out the vote and do that. [applause] if you sit on the sidelines, you are responsible for the consequences. the next time somebody says i wish that or the other thing had not happened, if he sat on the sidelines, you contributed to it happening. the whole purpose of the university is to empower people to live their dreams. your president was telling me before we came in about the bank of the progress of fiu and what you were going to do in the next 10 years and how important the pell grants are and the loans. [applause] if it matters, you should be

heard on election day. a lot of what is that in politics today bothers me because we all long for the unity we felt on 9/11 and for months afterwards. and we know that to some extent, that level of unity cannot be maintained because we do have honest disagreements and we need to have honest debate. benjamin franklin once said our adversaries are our friends because they show us our faults. but if you believe it until honest debate, you believed in it because you think nobody is right all the time. not because you think it is my way or the highway. there is a big difference. and if you believe that on this debate, you would want everybody to vote, not to make it harder for the young, minorities, the disabled, the elderly, and the

poor to vote. so i will say again and that the much less time with a try to say last week -- this is a pivotal election. i believe we should be working in an interdependent world for an america of shared responsibility, shared opportunities, shared prosperity, and shared membership in one american community. if you look around the world today, no country making progress on creating a society where people share the future, not a single one got there with the militant, bitter, anti- government strategy. why? because what works in the modern

world is partnership. the president was telling me about how you work closely with miami-dade and how you are going to read a whole new set of jobs and businesses here for the people back to waiting. if you look at the investment made in florida and into the space program, there will be new businesses and jobs created that are part of the 21st century economy. that requires that we work together. it is not business versus government. the way it is set up by our opponents in this election. it is business and government working together. that is why it was president obama who restore the cuts in the small business administration program to make loans to small businesses and to

put america on the side of small business again. that is why it was president obama who gave dozens of tax cuts to america's small businesses and because he believes we have to do this together. let me talk about the economy. the other night, i said the republican case against the president was will let him a mass, he did not fix it all, fire him, put us all back in. [laughter] his case is i stopped the slide into depression, i laid the foundation for the long road to recovery, we have begun it, and we have the building blocks of the modern, new, different economy. [applause] i believe it is important every

american decide whether i was right when i said i believe that the economy sustained so much damage -- keep identified in the quarter that is the three months period before the president took office, the economy strong -- shrunk 9%. we were losing 750,000 jobs a month. the average middle-class family lost 40% of its wealth when housing prices collapsed. no one, not me, not anybody, could have completely healed that and built a whole new economy and brought us back to full employment in just four years. it has never been done in the history of the world. it could not be done. [applause] so the test is not whether you think everything is hunky dory.

if that were the tests, the president would vote against himself. he knows how that some people are hurting. he knows what the problems are. the test is whether he is taking us in the right direction and the answer to that is yes. exhibit a -- the recovery bill. but often derided tim as packet. -- the oft derided recovery act. 95% of the american people. there were people who were afraid they would not be able to buy groceries. they were afraid every small business on every corner was going to close down. when those tax cuts went out, people could go out and buy and support their local merchants to keep things going.

about one-third went to keep people like that fine man who introduced me on the job. [applause] because they cannot support themselves. local governments were out of money. when the president back and said we need to do this one more year, we got a real solid economic growth. the current congress said no and they stopped and we lost 700,000 jobs. so you know i am not making it up. it got a little better in states were able to keep 300,000 of those people on the job but there were thousands without jobs. i do not feel america is better off -- i think we would have been better are try to come out of this thing together. working together.

helping each other together. [applause] then a third of it went to bring bat manufacturing and building new energy economy. we have doubled renewable energy production. you need to know this -- florida is leading the way in solar power. but we just passed a certain spirit and went to the largest solar profit in the country the other day on the nevada- california border. hundreds of solar panels. 2,000 construction workers. two dozen people from all over people-- men, women, white, african-american, hispanic, asian. about the only thing they had in common -- a whole lot of the press of tattoos. but these were people could explain to you the economics of solar energy, the environment

but benefits and the feature to america strength. they know that we -- the boom in natural gas production is making a big difference. it is the cleanest of all the fossil fuels. the president has opened up new areas for that to be produced in a safe way to meet with strong standards. all of the above. this is a good thing. the kind of investments that have been made are good things to build an economy. the old economy will not come back. we will not have as many jobs related directly to home building but will have more jobs related to home energy efficiency. repairing homes, repairing office building, fixing university buildings, putting people to work.

the health care bill was the good thing for the the american economy. [applause] when the affordable health care bill passed, people defending the old system -- let me tell you something. most people have no idea about health care economics because if your employer carries you on an employee policy, you do not pay the whole cost to your health care. because of the tax deductions, the employers do not pay the holocaust. here is the bottom line -- your country spends almost 80% of national income on health care. no other rich country in the world spends more than 11.8%. it is $1 trillion a year.

to ensure a smaller percentage of our people in a way that does not make us healthier. if you want to compete, you should want us to spend more less the same perspective -- percentage of the rich countries that have the best health care systems. we have good health care if you can afford it. do not misunderstand me. i am exhibit a. [applause] i have more scars on our body then dies in a fight. i know about this. but if you look at the overall health of the american population, it is impossible to avoid the conclusion that we're not spending our money in the most affect away at the institute of medicine issued a report last week that said we

are spending up to 75% of our health care dollars in less than the best way. what did it do what the mark this city are going to repeal this. -- what did it do? they say they are going to repeal this. since the health care bill passed, more than 1 million people in florida have got to be a bit of more than $123 million because the law requires the insurance company to spend 85% of your insurance premium on health care, not on profits or promotion. to you already have $100 million in rebates. -- so you already have $100 million in rebates. [applause] because the health care bill closed at the doughnut hole in the medicare drug program, 30,000 florida residents have

saved an average of more than $600 a year of their prescription drugs. more than 220,000 young floridians for the first time have health insurance because they're covered on their parents' policy. [applause] insurance companies will logar be able to deny coverage to 960,000 florida children because they have pre-existing conditions. the answer is -- on the other side is this is terrible and we will repeal it. the president's upon it has said that he bought medicare of

$760 billion. they said that against us last time in the elections and a lot of republicans got elected to congress in florida. it is not true. nobody lost anything. they took the report and read deuced future reimbursements by $716 billion. for the republican ticket, the nominee for vice president who was chairman of the house budget committee, produced a budget that had exactly the same dollars in savings that the obama budget did and that was to 2010 when they were advertising

at them -- that was true in 2010 when they were advertising. you have to give it to them. six real brass to attack the people -- it takes real brass to attack people doing the same thing you're trying to do. governor romney says they are going to repeal the health care bill and put the savings back in. the so-called savings. -- here's going to do what we're going to do. they are going to take the $716 billion dollars and give it back to providers and repeal the whole health care bill. here's what will happen -- the seniors on medicare, part d, they will pay $600 more a year.

because of the doughnut hole. the medicare trust fund instead of running out of money in 2020 for one not go broke in 2016 because they're spending more money which means they will have to change medicare as we know it or take more money away from education. not the fifth person is on medicare but to pay for providers. worst of all, they propose to cut medicaid by 25% over the next 10 years. and what every person over some it is certain age here knows is that this will really be devastating to poor children but that is only about a third of medicaid expenses. about two-thirds go for seniors on medicare and nursing homes because they have limited disposable income and they help

families with disabilities. including a lot of middle-class families to have a child with down syndrome, autistic conditions, terrible policy -- cerbral palsy. i have no idea what these families are going to do. if we decide to repeal the health care law and put this money back where it was. they say this is necessary because we have to give it to the providers for medicare a dentist. florida at the number one stated that the country as seniors enrolled in the medicare and that this program. the rest of you may not know what it is but basically the idea was you will get everything medicare gives you plus some preventive and primary care. in will -- and it will be better for you. and it was. when they started, they were giving $600 worth of benefits and taxpayers were paying 11 the dollars for them.

in fairness, beginning in the bush presidency the margins started to whistle. there were no cuts in medicare and that is. the people on medicare and pakistan to be healthier and get this preventive care. now you have -- on medicare t end to be healthier and get this preventive care. you tell me if it needs saving. under the current law, the profit margin is now down to 14%. here's what happened last year -- after obamacare went in. more providers than ever before asked to participate.

they were not run off three days that led us in. we want to get this health care. [applause] 70% more seniors got into the medicare and that this program. the price of being a that it dropped 16%. if president obama's goal was to destroy it medicare advantage, he did a poor doctor he strengthen medicare. he did not weaken medicare advantage 3 he strengthened it. but if you repeal the health care law and repeal the savings, you are going to weaken medicare advantage and medicare. it is going to run out of money quicker. you're going to really weakened a senior drug program. those are the facts. that is the arithmetic. [applause]

they got away with this in 2010. countless thousands of seniors voted because they were given misinformation against people who supported a plan that strengthen the medicare and medicare advantage. so i am talking about it everywhere because the first time they did that, it was their fault. if we let it happen again, it is our fault. [applause] let me just say one other thing. the also want to repeal the student loan bill. audience: boo! >> the federal student loan program used to basically involve, you qualify for stood among, you go down to the local bank and get your lawn, and the

government gives a 90% guaranteed to the bank. so if you do not pay it back, they will cover 90% of the loss. the government sets aside its own loan reserve and makes the loans directly, which means they can make them for lower interest rates. so it will be cheaper for you to repay. far more important, starting in 2013, every student who borrows money on the federal student loan law, however much you barrault, you will be able to pay that one back for up to 20 years at a small, fixed percentage of your income. [cheers and applause] furthermore, because there will

be fewer defaults, and because the program is cheaper, it will actually save $60 billion over 10 years. [applause] all the money was put back into raising the grants and protecting the tax credit to pay for people to go to college. [cheers and applause] i personally believe making it possible for every person to pay that loan back as a limited percentage of your income means two things. it means you never have to drop out of college because you think you cannot pay your laws because you know your loan obligation, however much you owe, will be fixed by your salary. also, you will never have to take a job even if it pays more

than a teacher or a police officer because of your lawn. it will change the future for young americans. [cheers and applause] thank you. so here is what you have to decide. you have to decide whether you believe in this or not. you have to decide whether it is a better path for the future to send more kids to college, more kids to community college, have the government and the business community and the education sector work together to create the jobs of tomorrow, or not. you have to decide whether it

would be a good thing if we had the world's best health system and it was competitive with all of these other countries in terms of how it -- in terms of how much it costs. you have to decide whether you think it is a good thing that the government imposes responsibilities and restructure's the auto industry and now there are 250,000 more people working in the car business than before. you have to decide whether you believe that this 500,000 new manufacturing jobs we have gotten since the bottom of the recession is some sort of accident that will go away or you like it that we are making things and america again and you want to see more of it. [applause] you have to decide whether you think it is just a blind accident that we have had 4.5

million private-sector jobs since the economy bottomed out in 2009 and we stopped losing jobs. that is more jobs by far than we had in the previous administration in the seven years between the end of the sort recession in 2001 and the crash in 2008. and 2.5 years, president obama's plan provided more jobs than the previous seven years. [applause] you have to decide if you think that is an accident. and you are willing to bet your future on it. but i am telling you i do not believe anybody could have healed this economy, as damaged as it was, in four years. i believe the health care bill lays the foundation for a stronger health-care system for

people of all ages and a stronger economy because it will be more competitive. i believe that bringing back manufacturing and staying in the league for at clean energy future and try to make sure we do not have from florida up to a new york flood because we did nothing about global warming. it is the right thing for america's future. [applause] i believe america's slide down to 16th in the world, and building up places like universities is the right thing for america's future. people ask me from time to time , what are you most proud of?

i say, i am glad we have more jobs. the most stunning statistic is we moved 100 times the amount of people from poverty to the middle class than the previous -- that means the american dream is alive and well. i am telling you i believe with all my heart that a society that , you are on your own, will never be as successful as a society that says, we are all in this together. [applause] if you just took a cold blooded "what is in it for me,"

every young person, you remember this, every kid that dropped out of school, every kid that cannot cope with all the economic problems at home and is 50 pounds overweight and is more likely to die and early death, every could that drops out of college -- every kid that drops out of college, that is a constraint on america's growth. it will compromise your future. if you do not care about them, it will compromise your future. [applause] we are all in this together works better than "you are on your own." the last thing i want to say is the republicans have this debt top. at the convention.

that is a big problem. but not today, not this day. for a very simple reason. on this day, there is not enough private economic activity to grow the economy fast enough to allow us to effectively bring down the debt. if you cut public spending and there is not private investment to make up for it, you fall further behind. that is why when the republican congress got rid of the local government unemployment -- local government, unemployment went up. that is why when the british tried it, they went in recession. president obama and, as did the right thing on that recovery act. they put a floor on the unemployment rate. -- under the unemployment rate. for all of you young people, the

debt will be important for this reason. when the economy starts to grow again, interest rates will rise. if interest rates today were what they were when i was president, the amount of money we would have to spend, your tax money, paying interest on the debt would be almost three times what it is today. that would cut money for education and science and technology for our future. we need a 10-year plan to deal with it. resit.g rich franand what is their plan? they say the first thing you have to do since we have this horrible debt problem is spent $2 trillion over a decade more on defense than the pentagon has asked for. you say, wait, i am big on a

strong military. it is important. but i trust the pentagon to design a 21st century military to be -- to meet 24 century security threats. what are you going to spend it on? they say, see me later. they say, we have a bit debt. we will cut taxes $5 million more over the next decade. and we are going to pay for that by repealing exemptions. well, which ones and how much will you save? see me about it after the election t. if you had an arithmetic problem to solve and you wanted to get from negative to zero, would you first add minus seven?

i am not making it up. this is their strategy per. [laughter] [applause] i am saying it because, on this day of all days, we should know that there are good and noble people who work for the government. i remember when the oklahoma city bombing occurred, which was the biggest terrorist incident before 9/11 that the united states history had. a man who had been on my secret service detail had transferred there because he thought it would be a great place to raise his children. he was killed that day. along with other people. i had, like every politician, on occasion, gotten upset.

and referred to government bureaucrats. i promised myself i would never use those two words together for the rest of my life. i would treat those people who serve our country with respect whether they are in uniform, law enforcement, fire fighters, and the other thing perr. [applause] that is it. if you are working for the future, i think the president's plan is better. repeat -- it meets the arithmetic test. i think the health care plan is better. i know the higher education plan is better off. i know the energy plan is better and i know the economic plan is better. i know it will not amount to a hill of beans if you do not register and vote and get your friends to. so do it. thank you. god bless you all.

[cheers and applause] >> president obama is back on the campaign trail this week with visits to nevada. we will be live with the president starting at 8:25 p.m. eastern on c-span 2. have you visited the c-span campaign 2012 website? you can watch the campaign trail with mitt romney and president obama. you can also read what the candidates are saying on major issues, like the economy, the deficit, national ads -- national security, and immigration. encage at c-span

.org/campaign2012. >> i think people like to see where politicians' views have shifted over the years. they like to see if mitt romney in 1994 was campaigning for or against abortion. they want to see what he was doing in his 2007 campaign. there is an element to it that people are like, this is incredibly interesting. >> i have tried to think why it is that he has changed so often. why he finds it so difficult to come down on one side of an issue. instead flowed between both issues. -- floated between both issues.

>> i think the best way to describe it is the beating heart of the internet. >> more with buzzfeed reporter sunday night at 8:00. >> the first of the presidential debates live on c-span. next, another set -- another chance to see some of the ceremony honoring the victims of the 9/11 attacks. we start with a moment of silence at the white house. followed by a remembrance ceremony at the pentagon. >> up until the battle of antietam, the confederates were on a roll because expectations in the south, even in the north, and a broad, were that lee would

win. the third time would be the charm. he had won the peninsula campaign, and he had won the second battle of bull run. now he was invading the north. this was going to be the crushing blow. when that did not happen, i think there was a great sigh of relief in the north. lincoln does take it as the sign he had been waiting for, the victory he had been waiting for, for the emancipation proclamation, which has transformed the war, making it a war of freedom. for all of these reasons, it was the most important turning part of the war. >> the 150th anniversary of the battle of antietam. authors and historians take your questions on the battle and repercussions of the single

bloodiest day of fighting in american history. sunday, live from antietam national battlefield. >> as a nation marked the 11th anniversary of the september 11 attacks, president obama and first lady michelle obama and the white house staff gathered on the south lawn of the white house for a moment of silence to honor the victims of the terrorist attacks. [camera shutters]

[beel ringing] -- [ bell ringing] [camera shutters]

["taps" playing]

[camera shutters]

>> president obama then honored the victims of attacks at the pentagon. the defense secretary and joint chiefs of staff chairman also took part in that ceremony. it began wi >> at this time, president barack obama, accompanied by

mrs. michelle obama, will pay special tribute to the lives lost at the pentagon and on american airlines flight 77 on september 112001. -- september 11, 2001. ["taps" playing]

>> please direct your attention to the memorial flagpole to your right.

in remembrance of the 184 lives lost at the pentagon, the flag is flying at half staff. ladies and gentlemen, the national anthem of the united states. ["the star-spangled banner" playing]

>> ladies and gentlemen, the united states army major general. >> let us pray. remember the events of september 11, 2001 and pray for all those who grieved today. those who witnessed the attacks,

those who came to rescue, all the souls who were lost, and especially those whose names are eternally etched into this a mormemorial. on a day the worst war -- was visited upon our nation, we remember the acts of valor we zero.sed that grounds wrot the selfless men and women who were called to defend our country both at home and abroad. inspired by their legacy, the acts of continued courage and strength of spirit, to faithfully serve our military's and our nation. we are thankful, divine healer. that we may do your work, showing peace and justice,

building communities, and watching with others and abundant life for all. dearest god, as we join in prayer this day, in your name we pray. amen. >> 11 years ago, at 9:37 a.m., the pentagon was attacked. please join us in observing a moment of silence to remember those who perished.

>> the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. the family and friends of those we lost 11 years ago today. one of them was a chief warrant officer. his bench 67 than from the far right.-- seventh in from the far right. joined the army national guard as a medivac pilot. he was loved by his students and moved by his deep commitment to them. one student said, he opened up my eyes and by heart to the world. many others became teachers, nurses, firefighters.

bill retired from the classroom and return to serve in the pentagon. there is no doubt he lost his life that morning because he stops to help somebody. there were thousands like bill that day. life takes on meaning only as the causes to which we attach ourselves have meeting. we become what we are through some cause we make our own. september 11 will always stand apart from other days. because of what those things say about all americans. as we remember the 184 lives that ended here and those that died in new york and pennsylvania, let us commit ourselves to the ideals for which they lived and they believed. step

forward to defend our nation. a generation that still fights in afghanistan. let's rededicate our lives to giving back. the strength of our democracy has always rested on the willingness of those who believed in those values and to serve, to give something back to this country. and now our secretary of defense, leon panetta. [applause] >> mr. president, mrs. obama, general dempsey, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, and the family members who lost a loved one here on 9/11. 11 years ago on a morning for a much like this, terrorists attacked the symbols of american strength -- our economy and our commerce, our military might and our democracy -- and took the lives of citizens for more than 90 countries. it was the worst terrorist attack on america in our history.

today people gather across the united states, around the world to remember the tragic events on 9/11. some take part in ceremonies like this. others spent time in quiet reflection and prayer. all of us take a moment to remember again where we were at that fateful moment. here together as one family, we pause to honor and to pray and to remember the 184 lives lost at the pentagon. more than 2700 killed in lower manhattan. and the 40 who perished in that field in pennsylvania on flight 93. these victims families remember

those who were lost as mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters. the family members here today know that the entire nation joins you in mourning the loss of your loved ones. we're honored by your presence and just as your loved ones are heroes for ever, so are all of you. today we also recognize and remember other heroes, those first responders who rushed to the scene behind me into the fire to save lives and help in anyway possible. we owe all of you a special debt. we appreciate all you did to provide aid and comfort to those who needed it so badly. our thoughts also turned to the survivors. on that bright sunny morning, you reported to work with no idea about the tragedy that lay ahead. suddenly this building was

rocked by an explosion. after the impact, many of you risked your lives to help others. many can remember the smell of the rubble and jet fuel. some of you knew the victims as office mates and friends and new their families. like 60 years before, a nation at peace suddenly found itself at war. but for all of you and for every american, this memorial is a permanent place for prayer and for remembrance.

it is a fitting tribute to the lives of those so cruelly taken from us, the passengers and crew of flight 77, military and civilian personnel working here at the pentagon, it is a fitting tribute to all of those who were lost. yesterday i had the opportunity to visit another memorial, the flight 93 national memorial in shanksville. i was reminded of those horrible moments after the hijacking when the passengers and crew were able to make frantic calls to speak to their loved ones for the last time. they knew what was at stake. and yet they decided to fight back.

together they took swift and decisive action to stop yet another attack targeted at the nation's capital. that spirit of selflessness and determination and courage is the enduring legacy of 9/11. it inspires our nation and our military to ensure that such an attack will never happen again. it inspires us to never forget those who perished to defend their homeland, to defend our ideals, to send a message to our enemies that no one attacks

the united states of america and gets away with it. for today, we also recall that out of the shock and sadness of 9/11 came a new sense of unity and resolve, that this would not happen again. it inspired a fierce determination to fight back and protect our way of life. in trying to attack our strengths, the terrorists on least our greatest -- unleashed our greatest strength. millions of americans responded. a whole new generation stepped forward to fight this war on terrorism.

they bled on distant battlefields. they pursued those who would do less harm. they their lives on the line to give all of us a safer and better future and to bring those behind these attacks to justice. because of their sacrifices and because they were willing to fight and to die and because of their dedication, our nation is stronger and safer today than on 9/11. we never give up the search for bin laden. we decimated the leadership for al qaeda. that group is still a threat,

we tell them a heavy blow and we will continue to fight them in yemen and somalia and north africa, wherever they go to make sure they'll have no place to hide. our troops tonight safe haven to al qaeda and its allies in afghanistan. make no mistake -- we will continue to pursue and fight our enemies wherever they go, wherever they high, wherever they try to find refuge. we will never stop until we have made sure that america is safe. on this day of remembrance, let us renew a solemn pledge to those who died on 9/11 and their families. it is a pledge we also make to all of those who put their lives on the line and who paid a heavy price for the last 11 years of war.

our pledge is to keep fighting for a safer and stronger future. our pledge is to ensure that america will always remain a government of, by, and for all people. that pledge, that legacy makes clear that no one, no one who died on that terrible day 11 years ago died in vain. they died for a stronger america. this morning we're honored by the presence of our military and civilian leaders and we are honored by the president's of

the president and mrs. obama. this president has led our efforts in this fight and i am honored to have served with him. it is my great honor to introduce our commander in chief. ladies and gentlemen, president barack obama. [applause] >> secretary panetta, general dempsey, members of our armed forces, and to the families, vipers and loved ones of those we lost, -- survivors and loved ones of those lost. today we remember the day that began as so many others. drives to school and commutes to work, flights and familiar routines, quick hugs and quiet

moments. it was a day like this one. clear blue sky. sky will be filled with smoke and prayers of a nation shaken to its core. it is easy for those of us to close our eyes and to find ourselves back there, back when grief crashed over us like an awful wave, when americans everywhere held each other tight come see in the researchers that the world we knew it wasn't crumbling under our feet. 11 times with marked another september 11, and gone. other times we have paused in reflection and remembrance, in unity and in purpose. this is never an easy day, but

it is especially difficult for all of you, the families of nearly 3000 innocents who lost their lives. mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, your sons and your daughters. they were taken from us suddenly and for too soon. we cannot begin to imagine the pain you have endured these many years. we'll never fully understand how difficult it is been for you to carry-on and to rebuild your lives. a matter how many years past, a matter how many times we come together on this hallowed ground, know this -- you will never be alone and your loved ones when never be forgotten. they will indoor in the hearts of our nation. helped make the america we are today. an america that has emerged

stronger. most americans never considered a small band halfway around the world could do less harm. most of us ever heard al qaeda. we have come together and dealt a crippling blow to the organization that brought evil to our shores. al qaeda's leadership has been devastated. our country is safer and our people are resilient. the majority of those who died on september 11 never put on our country's uniform. yet they inspired more than 5 million americans to wear that uniform over the last decade. these men and women have done everything that we have asked. the war in iraq is over and we're training afghan security

forces. by the end of 2014, the longest war in our history will be over. tell us civilians have opened their hearts out to our troops and our veterans. 11 years ago, memorial services were held for americans with different races and creeds. instead of turning against each other, a tragedy has brought us together. our fight is with al qaeda, not with islam or any other religion.

this country was built as a beacon of freedom and tolerance. that is what made us strong, now and forever. when those innocent souls were taken from us, they left behind and unfilled work and tasks that remain undone. that is why we chose to build the country up with a national day of service and a remembrance. it scripture tells us to not be overcome by evil but to overcome evil with good. there is no better way to honor the best them by discovered the best in our cells. this anniversary allows us to renew our faith. even the darkest night his way to a brighter dawn. day we can touch these names and kneel side the building.

we can visit the field of honor in pennsylvania and remember the heroes. we can see water cascading into the footprints of the twin towers. we may never be able to fully lift the burden left by those left behind, we know that somewhere a son is growing up with his father's eyes and a daughter has her mother's laugh. and reminders that those who died are with us still. as painful as this day is come in these us with a lesson -- that no single event can neveevr destroyed who we are. no act of terrorism can change what we stand for.

instead we recommit ourselves to the values that we believe in, holding firmly without wavering to the hope that we confess. that is the a firmer -- the true legacy of 9/11 will be a safer world, a stronger nation, and people more united than ever before. god bless the members of those we lost and god bless these united states of america. [applause] >> members of congress on the

floor of the house and senate remembered the victims of the 9/11 attacks. this is 35 minutes. mr. poe: mr. speaker, on a cool september morning in texas, i was driving my jeep to the courthouse where i was the judge for a long time. i was listening to kilt radio, a country western station, willie nelson was singing "blue eyes crying in the rain." and all of a sudden the newscaster for kilt radio comes on. he intercunts the program. and he said that -- he interrupts the program. and he said that an airplane had crashed into the north tower of the world trade center. and that's about all we knew at that time. it was 8:46 eastern time.

7:46 in texas. continuing my daily journey to the courthouse, a few minutes later he comes back on the radio and says that a second airplane had crashed into the second south tower of the world trade center in new york city. and the world understood at that time this was serious. this was an attack on our nation, on our country. after i got to the courthouse, we learned that a third airplane flying over washington, d.c., very close to the building we are in, the united states capitol, went down the street less than a mile and crashed into the pentagon. and that was at 9:37 eastern time. then a fourth airplane, we remembered as flight 93, was

flying toward washington, d.c., probably the capitol or the white house where some good right thinking folks took control of the plane from a high jacker an they were -- hi jacker and they were -- hijack er and they were crashed in a field. on september 11, 2001, this nation was attacked. 3,000 people were killed that day. it's interesting that the attackers decided to attack the world trade center because people from 90 nationalities were in the world trade center building. the south and the north. so it was more than an attack on america, it was an attack on the people of the world. freedom-loving people. people who believed in living life and liberty.

the murder was done by 19 radicals who murdered in the name of religion. of the 3,000 people that were killed, 411 of them were emergency workers. 341 were members of the new york fire department. also two fire department members of new york who were paramedics were killed that day. 23 officers from nypd were killed that day. 37 port authority officers from new york and new jersey. and eight emergency medical technicians and paramedics were killed that day. in the aftermath of that morning, first responders from all over the united states later that week went to new york to help in the recovery and help restore what had

happened at ground zero. many of those first responders still suffer from toxins that they acquired while working ground zero as many members of first responders from new york and new jersey are still suffering. but today we remember all of those people that were killed that day on september 11. later that evening i, like most americans, was watching television and saw the horror on video of what occurred. and i like him, mr. speaker, saw those thousands of people in new york when those planes crashed into the world trade center building, they were fleaing -- fleeing as fast as they can and could from those terror that came from the sky. but there was another group of people like the fire horses of old that charged to the smell of smoke and the roar of fire. those individuals charged to that terror from the sky.

there weren't very many, there were a handful, yet they were there. of course who were they? they were the first responders. they were the firefighters, they were emergency medical technicians, they were the paramedics, the peace officers. and they, many of them, died that day. and while it's important we remember those that were killed, it's equally important we remember those that got to live, mr. speaker, because those first responders charged to that terror from the sky. and many of them gave up their lives so others could live on that famous day. of september 11, 2011. tennesse black, for five minutes. mrs. black: thank you, mr. speaker. 12 years ago today our way of life, our freedom, and our fellow citizens came under attack in a series of ruthless and deliberate attacks.

today we pause to remember and honor some 3,000 people, moms and dads, friends and neighbors who lost their lives on that fateful day. we honor the first responders who chose to run into e burning world trade towers, putting their own lives at risk to save others. and we honor the lives of the heroes who fought the terrorists onboard flight 97 and successfully prevented the plane from hitting the white use or the u.s. capitol. none of us will ever forget that day. none of us will ever forget where we were the momenwe heard that a plane had hit the first world trade tower, and none of us will forget seeing the second hit. america was shaken but not broken. in those dark hours ahead, americans came together and responded with one voice.

so today we remember and reflect upon a day that brought us all together as americans, a day that was our generation's pearl harbor. a day that made all of us stop and ask ourselves what's important in our own lives. while many of our nation's leaders do not agree on how best to run our country, we are all in agreement with pausing to honor and remember those who gave their lives in this senseless attack. where there's freedom there's strength. terrorism will never triumph. september 11, 2001, reminded all of us that -- of that and this is the day that we will never forget. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentlelady from texas, ms. jackson lee, for five minutes.

ms. jackson lee: i thank the speaker. i ask unanimous consent to address the house. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. jackson lee: my country tis of thee, sweet land of lerty. god bless america. i'm glad that we have songs that can capture our spirits and thlove that we have for our nation. reminded as a child seeing the rds -- singing the words to "my country 'tis of thee" and reminded of that day, 9/11, members of congress gathered to stand on the steps of the united states capitol to sing "god bless america." i rise today to pay tribute americans and the myriad of persons whose lives remain

forever changed because of 9/11. we honor and mourn still those who fell on that day. it was the world, a potpourri of personalities, nationalities, languages, different descriptions and lfe stories. itas the world that was in america, a country that welcomes all. and then of course those of us who are reminded of the rushing in of heroes and she-ros, nypd, civilian volunteers, firefighters, port police, federal workers. all in some way helping to save soone's life. fellow office workers, dish washers, restaurant workers, some who died so that others

might live. i remember very clearly where i was here in the united states capitol, havina meeting with one of the cabinet members of the president at that time. deeply involved in work regarding small businesses, going about the normal daily responsibilities. members who work on legislation and constituency issues and oversight over the government. there was a rattling outside and of course phones started ringing, at least the technology of that time, and we indicated that we were still in a meeting and did not answer until someone banged on the door and said i don't know what is happing but you must get out. without panic but certainly with great concern and as you entered the hallways, people were rushing. rushing to come out of this building and as the rumors began to f, or the words began to fly about the white house, the state department,

and then of course the building smoke that one could see from the pentag. it was real. it was something that we had never, ever, ever seen. maybe those who had been in wars preceding us in far away lands, but not in the 20th century on the soil of the united states of america or the 21st century. and so i stand tay with great honor of those who died and those who died in trying to save others and those who did, and i am grateful today that we have the opportunity to be able to say thank you though sadly to families who remain. to those who now stand in new york reading names, to those who at the pentagon who still have the piercing feeling of loss, d certainly those in pennsylvania, those family members, those surrounding communities. i'm grateful in the last couple days we finally acknowledge that the is something to those who breathe the smoke and they are now going to be

included for the entity that provides health care for those who are impacted by 9/11, toxic smoke. it took us too long. i'm glad we passed legislation to help the first responders, firefighters, police, and others who suffered catastrophic illnesses remaining after they went in to help those who could not help themselves. . i remember drafting legislation for the children. so many children were left at home and no one came to see them on that fateful day, 9/11. children now reads the names of their parents, grandparents, children grew up without a family member because of the heinous and horrid hatred, contempt and violence. and so i hope this nation on this day comes closer together, that we come together as independents, democrats, republicans and nothing, that we stand as one nation, being

able to be reminded of the greatest nation in the world. god bless america. for i will say that throughout my life for whatever the ups and downs we may have, this country is great. as i travel around on behalf of the united states of america, visiting those who fought in ir and who have fought in afghanistan, i see that they are great because they were willing to sacrifice at the call of the commander in chief and at the call of their nation. the day i come on this floor to honor all of those who were touched by 9/11 and to remind all of us as members of congress and the nation, never yield to weakness that we are not great, always our democracy, our love of god makes us that. god bless america. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from oregon, mr. blumenauer, for five minutes. mr. blumenauer: thank you, mr. speaker.

we return to capitol hill ending the summer recess with strong conflicting emotions. today is the 11th anniversary of 9/11, the horrific attacks that locked the nation and especially were poignant for us on capitol hill. as representatives of the government, we have sworn to uphold and defend these senseless, horrific acts, exposed a real vulnerability. we all remember what -- as we felt as we were watching the twin towers collapse and then the plane crash in the pentagon and then yet another plane going down in a lonely field in pennsylvania destined for us here on capitol hill. but people came together in an outpouring of support for one another and for our nation. there was a sense of resolve paralleled since the cowardless attacks on pearl harbor. the response of the government since then has been somewhat mixed. we have protected the united

states so far against any repeat attack but at great cost. we've thrown money at the problem. we've had overreach particularly in terms of personal liberties and we will be paying the costs of the horribly misguided war in iraq for generations to come. after an originalterrific response, we took our eye off the ball. we allowed osama bin laden almost another decade of life and mischief. later, we were sucked back into afghanistan on the terms under of the talibannd al qaeda, not on our terms. now, this is not merely a republican problem, although george bh and the republicans were in charge and made some of the worst mistakes. there was much bipartisan support for the excesses. to this day there is bipartisan confusion about the best path forward torotect the nation while protecting civil

liberties for the situation today and not the conditions of september 10, 2001. my wish for congress, as the candidates span out on the campaign trails, is that we mark this anniversary with a commitment to allow a little common sense and political discord. thisan be anmotional job, and i was thinking about the emotions i expressed having a chance is a years ago to go through the interfering military on aun where she was under house arrest. my son, daughter and i spent an amazing afternoon with this extraordinary woman. i could scarcely imagine then what will happen next week when we will be awarding that

courageous woman the congressional medal of honor here in the capitol hill. and then she will return to burma as a member of their nation's parliament. the success of this woman together with the steelly resolve of the american public after september 11 ought to give us all pause and hopefully a renewed commitment to do our job right. since 9/11 the challenges and circumstances have evolved. we have greater challenges in terms of security, climate instability, natural disaster and our own economic vuerability. it's a tall order to deal with them. but hopefully we will all be inspired by the example of aun

san suchi. it's time today for the politicians to do their job. politicians to listen, to speak the trh and to lead. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentlelady from california, ms. woolsey, for five minutes. ms. woolsey: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, a few minutes from now members of the house and the senate will head to the capitol steps. we're going to the capitol steps for a moment of remembrance, to honor those who were killed in the attacks on september 11, 2001. september 11, 2001, a day that will forever be seared into the american citizens' and the world's memory. 11 years later, mr. speaker,

spouses still grieve, children still feel the void, parents are still devastated by the loss of their children. it was a tragedy. it was a tragedy for individual families and for the entire nation. one of the lingering tragedies of that day is that it led to policy decisions with terrible consequences that we're still living with today. over the last decade-plus, violence and mayhem has just led to more violence and mayhem. our continued military occupation in afghanistan has not brought the stability. it has not brought security. it has not brought a strong democracy to that country. afghanistan remains one of the most poorest and dangeus places on earth. the taliban has not been driven into oblivion. the terrorist threat continues.

and according to a "new york times" article this past weekend, even u.s. commanders are admitting that the taliban remains resilient while al qaeda is evolving and adapting. mr. speaker, while we in the house adjourned for the month of august, there was no recess for our troops. in fact, since we were last in session another 60 u.s. service members died in afghanistan. countless others suffered wounds to the body and to the brain. and then there are the afghan civilians, many of them children, who are being killed every single day. how do we tell the families of these children that this is all fogood and just cause? we can't. mr. speaker, it's time to stop conducting national security

pocy on the principles of revenge and retaliation. and on the false hope that we are making it better. the right way to secure and ensure security is to put americans' best foot forward, to lead with our compassion and not our military power. that's what my smart security atform is all about. it puts diplomacy front and center and makes war a last resort. it is based on a commitment to improving the lives of afghan people, alleviating power, creating economic opportunity, rebuilding infrastructure, improving education, attacking public health problems in that area. we can't do this with the military surge. we can only do it with a civilian surge, a surge of experts, of aide worker of technical experts from

engineers to midwives. of course our development agencies are doing this kind of work and they're doing the best they can possibly do, but there's not nearly the scale to make this possible. compared to billions of dollars every month that we spend on the war, we're investing just a tiny fraction of that on humanitarian work that is so badly needed. public opinion has turned dramatically againsthis war and yet our most visible leaders continue to lag behind the people that elected them. the president of the united states says he'll end this war in 2014, which is a good goal, but it is not nearly soon ough. his opponent, on the other hand, in the most important speech of his life a few weeks ago, didn't see fit to even mention afghanistan not even once.

so, mr. speaker, when we gather on the steps of the capitol, as i bow my head, it will be in remembrance of those who died 11 years ago today and it will also be with a prayer of hope that we can honor their memory by finally ending the war in afghanistan and finally bringing our troops he. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the geneman from kansas, mr. yoder, for five minutes. mr. yoder: mr. speaker, i ask unanims consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. yoder: mr. speaker, 11 years ago today, americans found themselve under attack. we watched with shock and horror as hijacked passenger airplanes were flown both into the world ade center towers and the pentagon. we all remember what we were doing that tuesday morning when 2,996 innocent americans were killed in those tragic and unthinkable acts. we also remember the heroic actions of the passengers of

united flight 93 who courageously fought t hijackers on tir plane and sacrificing their own lives ultimately saved countless others. courage and bravery have long been traits demonstrated by our fellow americans, from deplaying our country's independence, to fighting alongside our allies abroad in the name of freedom and liberty. americs, though, are also resilient. we ban together. we pick each otherp when we're knocked down and we endure. in kansas we are exemely proud of the men and women in our military that serve our country and defend our freedom and liberty around the globe. their willingness to pay the ultimate sacrifice for their country, their true heoism is known firsthand only to a small number but is yet sadly far, far too common. the third district of kansas lost two heroes this summer as a result of combat operations in afghanistan. mike knapp was deployed out of joint base louis mccord out of

washington state. he was killed in mid may while serving his country only three days before he was scheduled to return home. also, private first class cal miller, deployed out of joint place louis mccord, lost his wife in early june when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. private first class miller was a 2007 graduate, member of the football and track team. it breaks my heart every time i learn the news of a soldier who has lost his life so our country can continue to live in freedom. as we remember this day, t 11th anniversary of september 11, mr. speaker, we remember it by honoring all those innocent lives loson that tragic day. we also remember the first responders, the firefighters and the policemen who charged the burning buildings to save lives, ultimately giving up

their own in the process. let us also recall the steelly resolve of american patriotism and unity as our country responded against the terrorists. let us serve the veterans. we pay tribute to those americans who served in our military, ensuring that the acts 11 years ago never happens again. our thanks cannot be spoken strongly enough. to those who serve, those who lose their lives defending our country and the family and calendar.r lives defending our mr. reid: mr. president, just a short ways from this chamber, s.209, we've been meeting for many, many years as a senate, democratic leadership to discuss the issues of the week.

we just finished a meeting. part of the discussion today in that meeting was what happened 11 years ago the exact same time as we remember meeting there. i can remember that so clearly, i will never, never forget that. it's implanted in my mind so clearly. i was the first one to get to that meeting, and senator breaux from louisiana came in and said there's something going on in new york. let's turn on the tv, and we did. senators started coming in, and it appeared that an airplane hit the, one of the towers, and we were wondering why it would have done that. something obviously was wrong. and so the meeting, senator daschle was the leader and he started the meeting, and the tv was off. and the meeting was just getting started, and someone came in to take senator daschle out of that

meeting. and he came back very quickly, and he said there's a plane headed for the capitol, and we all have to vacate the capitol. everybody. and so the alarm went out, and people were rushing down these halls leaving. i can remember leaving that room over here, looking out the window and seeing the smoke billowing from what we learn now was the pentagon. it was on fire. the plane had hit that. there was still one plane in the air, and that was headed for the capitol. even though, as i've indicated, that was 11 years ago, i remember the sight as if it were yesterday. we had many meetings in that room, and i often think of what transpired that morning as i looked out toward the pentagon. mr. president, over the last decade our country has begun to heal from the wounds of that

terrible, terrible attack, an attack by terrorists. the scars remain. the scars are deeper with some than others, but no matter how many years pass, we'll never forget the thousands of innocent people who died in new york, pennsylvania, across the river here in virginia. there were mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, spouses and friends. all they were doing is their jobs and others were just catching a plane to go visit loved ones, business trips. so it's good that we pause each year to pay tribute and to remember. that will occur here on the senate floor as i announced it. there will be a ceremony out in front of the capitol at the same time. the memories of that dark day in our shared history are very painful, but they give me hope as well.

they give me hope because on september 11, during the difficult months that followed americans showed the world how a unified nation can fight back against darkness and fear. democrats weren't alone fighting back. republicans weren't alone fighting back. we were all fighting back together. in the face of great evil -- and that's what it was -- there were so many that rushed forward to show great courage, enormous dignity and kindness. so today we also pause to remember the firefighters who rushed into the world trade center knowing they might never come out, and they didn't come out a lot of them. we pause to remember the police officers and rescue workers who hurried to the scene, combed through the debris and shepherded new yorkers to safety. some of them gave their lives that day. we pause to remember the bravery of the members of our nation's

armed forces, our intelligence community and foreign services as well as the sacrifices of their families. they have worn the burdens of war for more than a decade. they have given their blood, sweat and too often their lives to the effort to crush al qaeda and bring osama bin laden to justice and keep america safe. i would pause to remember the unbreakable spirit of those valiant people, and certainly the united states of america. mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: in the course of a lifetime, one always remembers those moments of national grief and anxiety. they don't happen very often. in my parents' generation it was where were you when you heard about the japanese attack on pearl harbor?

when i was a young man, and my friend the majority leader, was a young man it was where were you when you heard about the assassination of president kennedy? with the current generation it was, of course, where were you when you heard about 9/11? as the majority leader has indicated, it was for us here at the capitol, kind of close up and personal, if you will. i recall being late that morning, and as a result of not having yet gotten to work, i saw, as millions of americans did, the second plane go into the second building in real time. as the majority leader has indicated, the building was subsequently evacuated and people scattered around town. and at the end of this horrendous and frightening day,

we all gathered on the steps of the capitol to sing "god bless america." it was one of the most uplifting and unifying moments in the history of our country. and i think it's safe to say that we are as a nation together, even though we have our political differences, together and stronger in the wake of what happened. in what is now a time-honored tradition, later this morning we'll gather on the capitol steps to mark the solemn anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. it's fitting that we remember the thousands of innocent men and women who died that morning 11 years ago and that despite our political differences, we remember the unity and resolve we all felt that day. in the days and weeks that followed these horrific attacks on our homeland, we were united

by a common grief and outrage. some wondered what the future would bring. but 11 years later, i think i can say that america is stronger than it was on 9/11. so today we honor the sacrifice of those who died that day and the millions who have stepped forward to defend the nation and the armed forces and intelligence services in the years since, especially those who have given their lives in that service. on 9/11, we showed the world that america does not shrink from a challenge. and every day since courageous men and women have humbled us through their courage and sacrifice on our behalf. today is a day to show them our deep gratitude and to renew our

commitment to live lives worthy of their >> throughout the day, viewers have commented on the 9/11 anniversary on twitter. one viewer says, i remember the 3000 people taken too soon. another viewer, the tribute of like dejesus -- a sense of peace. another wrote, honor the victims and the heroes. in four weeks, the first presidential debate, live on c- span, c-span radio, and c- span.org. watch and engage. tonight, we joined mitt romney as he addresses the national guard association convention in reno, nevada. that is followed by former

president bill clinton campaigning for president obama in miami. president obama is back on the campaign trail this week, with visits to nevada and colorado. tomorrow, he is at a grass-roots campaign of and in las vegas. we will be live with the present, starting a 20 5:00 p.m. eastern on c-span 2. -- a 20 5:00 p.m. eastern on c- span 2. >> our campaign coverage continues toward election day and canada is prepared to face off in 390-minute debates. wednesday the third, domestic policy is the focus at the university of denver. tuesday, the 16th, the candidates will take audience questions at a meeting from hofstra university. the final debate, october 22, questions will face -- address public policy at a debate in florida.

also, watch the vice- presidential debate on october 11 from kentucky. we will also cover key house and senate races, looking at the control of congress. following our coverage at c- span, c-span radio, and online at c-span.org. mitt romney marked the 9/11 anniversary in speeches to the national guard in reno, nevada. he spoke about ending the u.s. mission in afghanistan he talks of his experience 11 years ago. and those who lost their lives responded to evil and heinous attack. from the national guard association convention, this is 20 minutes. >> thank you so much. major general, thank you for your generous introduction. thank you for your years of service as chairman of the board and for your decades of service to our nation.

ladies and gentlemen of the national guard association, it is an honor to be with you on this day of memorial and the appreciation. we remember with heavy hearts the tragic loss of life and express think less for the men and women who responded to that tragedy. we honor them and we honor those to secure our safety even to this day. we honor the men and women of the national guard. for 375 years whenever your countrymen have accounted threat and danger, you have willingly gone whatever the cause of freedom has called, you have answered. and threats of liberty have served far from home and far from family. the nation has asked much of view, much more than expected but you never faltered. from that motto -- always ready, always there. several weeks ago, i saw the

guard in action in louisiana after it was hit by hurricane isaac. for many in the gulf who were just getting back to normal after katrina, the damage from isaac felt like to much to bear. as i toured the flooded streets, i was not surprised to find the guard keeping order. distributing water and supplies. and caring for many of those who had been evacuated and rescue. time and again, it is in the guardsmen and that is lifted a child from rising waters and has fed and clothed americans whose homes have been lost. thank you for that service. [applause]

our world is a dangerous place. the attack and -- on our homeland in citizens on the 9/11 and reminds us that the mission of the guard is ever more critical and ever more deserving of our support and honor. more than a decade has now passed since that day of tragedy but the visions and the events are seared in the memory of every american. remember those who died. we marvel of the courage of those who stormed the cockpit when they became aware of the malevolent purpose of the hijackers. we hold up in prayer the families and friends of live in a shadow cast by grief. we draw strength from the selflessness of the first responders and we renew our resolve to protect america from the designs of evil men. like you, i remember where i

was on 9/11. i was originally planning to be in battery park in new york city, not far from the world trade center. as it turned out, i was in washington, d.c. to meet with members of congress about preparations for the security of the upcoming olympic winter games. a colleague and i were working in the office we had in the ronald reagan building, a few blocks to the white house. someone rushed into our office and said that a plane had hit the world trade as the world trade center. i turned on a small tv on our desk and watched in shock as the flames and smoke erupted from the north tower. i called my wife. she too watched the tragedy from her tv and wondered how a plane could fly into a building at that the clear daylight. thne we saw the second plane crashed into the second tower. these were purposeful at tax. these were terrorists attacks. these were evil and cowardly and heinous attacks.

leaving the city, i drove toward alexandria. the highway i was on came within a few hundred yards of the pentagon would have been hit by then. cars were stopped were the work and people got out, watching in horror. i could smell burning fuel, concrete and steel. it was the smell of war, something i never imagined i would smell in america. the each were overwhelmed by the enormity of the loss of life. we struggle to comprehend the magnitude of what this meant for the families of those with been killed and for our own families. for our nation. for the world. for some, there was also anger and grief and anger soon turned to action and among those taking the lead were members of the national guard. members of the guard secured our airports and borders and members of the guard began to mobilize, to deploy half a world

away for you would become all too dim earlier but the amount of the hindu kush and the streets of fallujah. guardsmen and women have helped keep us safe and the nation owes you. i wish i could say the world is less dangerous now, less chaotic. i wish i could predict with certainty the threats we will face in the years ahead. but on september 10, 2001, we had no idea that america would be at war in afghanistan some day. in december of 2010, we had no idea the a tunisian street vendor would inspire a revolution that would topple three dictators. we live in a time of turbulence and disruption. what i can say with certainty is that we need the national guard's tillich and strength now as much as ever before.

with less than two months ago, before election day, i would normally speak to a gathering like this between -- about the differences between my and my opponent's plan for national security. there is a time and place for that. but this day, is not that. it is a day to express gratitude for the men and women who fought in who are still fighting to protect us and our country, including those who who traced the world of terror to islamabad and delivered just to osama bin laden. [applause] this is also a day where we can

hopefully agree on important things. this century must be an american century. it began with terror, war and economic calamity. it is now our duty to steer on to the path of freedom, peace, and prosperity. america must lead the free world and the free world must lead the entire world. in our dealings -- [applause] cut into the dealings we have with other nations, we must demonstrate confidence in our cause, clarity in our purpose, and result in the application of our military might. for this to be an american century, we must have a military that is second to none,

that is so strong and no one would ever think of testing it. [applause] american military power is vital to the preservation of our own security and for the preservation of peace around the world. time and again, america's military has been the best ally of liberty and peace. american forces rest europe price. american forces rescued europe twice. america's military leads the fight against terrorism and secures the global commons. while the war in iraq is over, nearly 70,000 american troops will still remain in afghanistan at the end of the month. our goal should be to complete a successful transition to afghan security forces by the end of 2014.

we should evaluate conditions on the ground and solicit the best advice of our military commanders. we can all agree that our men and women in the field deserve a clear mission, they deserve the resources and resolute leadership they need to complete that mission and the country that will provide for their needs when they come home. [applause] the return of our troops cannot and must not be used as an excuse to hollow out our military to devastating defense budget cuts. [applause] it is true that our armed forces have been stretched to the brink and that is all the more reason to repair and rebuild.

we can always find places to end waste but we cannot cancel program after program or jeopardize critical missions or cut corners in the quality of the equipment and training will provide to our men and women in uniform. when our troops come home, they should not have to struggle to find work. after all our veterans have done for us, they deserve the opportunity to find good jobs. and the dignity of pursuing the american dream. [applause] we also have to keep the faith with our veterans. no matter when or where they have served, after a strong va system. when the backlog for disability claims reaches nearly 1

million, when a federal building in virginia becomes structurally unstable because so many claims have filed up, we can all agree the system is in need of serious and urgent reform. and it is. [applause] our veterans deserve care and benefits that are second to none garrett there is considerable work waiting to be done. the backlog of disability claims these to be eliminated. unconscionable wait from mental-health treatment need to be dramatically shortened and the suicide rate among active- duty soldiers and veterans must be treated like the emergency it is. veterans' benefits are not a gift that is given. but a debt that is due. [applause]

the problem with the va are serious and they have to be fixed. we are in danger of another danger -- generation of veterans losing their faith in the system so we must ensure the va keeps the faith with our veterans. we must keep our promises and regain the trust of all those who have served our country. when i was governor of massachusetts, i saw firsthand the guards bravery and valor. in 2006, i visited iraq and afghanistan along with two other governors. we met with members of the national guard from our respective states. we were flung from helicopter by -- by helicopter from base to base. i said to them if they wanted me to call their spouse or family when i got home, i would be happy to do that. when i left for home, i thought i had 63 notes in my pocket. 63 calls to make.

i knew that making that many calls would take quite a few days or weeks. after i made only about two or three calls, a guardsmen's wife answered the phone and said oh hello governor, i thought i might be calling. a barely the first spouse's i called a called other spouse's or they e-mail their loved ones in iraq and afghanistan who then e-mail and their spouses back home to tell them to expect my call. so i made 63 calls on memorial day. [applause] you will remember that may of

2006 was a difficult time in the iraq war. many of you know that from experience. you were suffering terrible casualties. and terrorism was draining our efforts to stand up the iraq meet -- iraqi government. politics back home had become very deeply divided. as i made those calls, i braced myself for questions about why the guardsmen i had met could not come home right away. why were they still there? and yet in 63 calls, i did not hear a single complaint. not one. on each call, i would and i expressed my gratitude on behalf of our nation and my state for the sacrifice of their loved one and of their family. these individual and in harm's way. from virtually everyone i spoke with, they will correct me to say instead that it was an honor to be able to sacrifice for america.

and to serve the greatest nation on earth. [applause] such is the patriotism of the men and women and families of our national guard. many of those calls left me with tears in my eyes. i will never forget meeting the brave men and women who had volunteered for the national guard in massachusetts. who found themselves on the front lines in iraq and afghanistan. i will never forget speaking with their loved ones and i will always hold the greatest admiration for every one of them. on the campaign trail, it has been my privilege to meet with troops and veterans from just about every corner of america.

they come from our farms, our great cities, our small towns and quiet neighborhoods. many have known violence. so their neighbors could no peace. they have done more than protect america. their courage and service defines america. [applause] on this 11th anniversary of september 11th, 2001, we remember the victims who perished in the attacks. we also remember the men and women serving in dangerous places around the world. we will not forget why they are fighting for who they are fighting for. they are faithful to us and to our country. we must not break faith with them. i want to personally thank you for keeping us safe, to be into the company of men and women of

courage i stand before today -- is an honor to be among those whose sense of duty and love of country list our hearts and our spirits. we are blessed to live in a country where freedom is a highly cherished, where it is so spiritually protected and where it is so admirably defended by the noble men and women of the national guard. i respect you. i admire you. our respect and admire the men and women who serve with you. you are a great force for good in america and the world. our debt of gratitude can never be repaid except by saying god bless you, god bless the united states of america, and god bless the great people of the national guard. thank you so much. [applause]

>> governor romney, thank you so much for joining us today. we hope you will continue to make the nation's defense and security a key part of your campaign. as a memento to this occasion, of a like to present you with this special coin of the national guard association of the united states, especially put together for this conference. we give it to you with our gratitude.

thank you for being with us. >> thank you, major general. thank you. [applause] ♪ >> we will be in recess until the separate sections tomorrow morning at 08:00. the third business session will be here be10:30 hours. we will be presenting awards and conducting some important position business, including

announcing the winners of the election into the rest of your day. if you have already, please visit the trade show. we stand in recess until tomorrow. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012]

the campaign trail this week with visits to nevada and colorado. tomorrow, his other grass-roots campaign event in las vegas. we will be live with the president starting at 8:25 eastern on c-span2. former president bill clinton campaigned for president obama in miami on tuesday, part of it today trip to florida. he campaigned in orlando on wednesday. from florida international university, this is 40 minutes. >> let's give lieutenant carroll another hand. all those is bork before me -- all the people who performed and

spoke before me, they all represent something good about america and the acting president obama has tried to support -- president obama has tried to support. all of these people present the idea of citizenship and service. i want to thank joe garcia for being here, all of the other elected officials. the obama campaign volunteers. and the president of fiu. [applause] this school, vicky thousand strong -- 50,000 strong, is the largest number of graduates from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds in the stem field in

the united states. all this represents the best of america. i believe on this 11th anniversary of 9/11, this is the first public event i have participated in on this day in more than a decade. it was -- that was unrelated to that date. but this day is about citizenship. on that day, i was in australia and president bush arranged for me to fly home. so that all americans could be together. --that day, my wife's everybody relax. on that day, my wife was a senator from new york with the world trade center towers were. [applause] on that day, our daughter was a

21-year-old young woman working in york city in lower manhattan and was one of the thousands of people to walk north and could not find her. on that day, the chaplain of the new york city fire department and a friend of mine was killed along with a number of other people we knew. i decided to come here on this day because i think if you looked around at how this day is being honored, it is being honored by service products all over america. by people try to be good citizens. you just have 27 days to register to vote of that the florida.

there are volunteers here today who will register you to vote. where are they? raise your hand. [applause] you can go online at gottaregister.com. i like that. slang online. this is really important. you want to honor the people who have warned the country's uniform, who have hot -- come home bearing the wounds of war who need help finding jobs and education and housing. who may need years of help because of the staggering number of people with post-traumatic stress syndrome or brain injuries. be a good citizen. the lease we can do is show up a vote.

when people try to discourage you from voting which is happening in a lot of these voter changes all over america, is to redouble your determination to vote. [applause] i will never forget when i was in cleveland running for president 20 years ago and a magnificent minister named otis moss who became a very good friend of mine and was very active in the civil-rights movement described the first day his father was legally eligible to vote. the equivalent of all of these new barricades was basically jacking african-americans around and sending them to different places to vote. he said his father waited all his life for this day. first went to one place and is

that i am sorry, your at the wrong place. he did not have a car. yet to walk. so he walked. even though it took him two hours. the next place, they said i am sorry, you are at the wrong place. and yet to what another two hours. then he had to stand in a long line when they finally got there, he said you are at the right place but we're close in the polls at 7:00. and otis moss looked out at the crowd and said the happiest day of my life was when i took my daughter to vote with me when she was first eligible and walked into the voting booths together and i pulled the curtain. before i voted, i put my ear to the edge until i could hear her pull the voting levers. [applause] he said, in my family, we do

not miss voting. we are there every time the polls are open. [applause] so i say to all of you here, you need to talk to your friends about this -- i keep reading that young people are not quite as sure as there were four years ago if they are going to vote. i tried to argue down in charlotte next week that that is a bad mistake. we have a lot of reasons to vote and we have a good candidate to vote for. and we need to get out the vote and do that. [applause] if you sit on the sidelines, you are responsible for the consequences. the next time somebody says i wish that or the other thing had not happened, if he sat on the sidelines, you contributed to it happening. the whole purpose of the

university is to empower people to live their dreams. your president was telling me before we came in about the bank of the progress of fiu and what you were going to do in the next 10 years and how important the pell grants are and the loans. [applause] if it matters, you should be heard on election day. a lot of what is that in politics today bothers me because we all long for the unity we felt on 9/11 and for months afterwards. and we know that to some extent, that level of unity cannot be maintained because we do have honest disagreements and we need to have honest debate. benjamin franklin once said our

adversaries are our friends because they show us our faults. but if you believe it until honest debate, you believed in it because you think nobody is right all the time. not because you think it is my way or the highway. there is a big difference. and if you believe that on this debate, you would want everybody to vote, not to make it harder for the young, minorities, the disabled, the elderly, and the poor to vote. so i will say again and that the much less time with a try to say last week -- this is a pivotal election. i believe we should be working in an interdependent world for an america of shared responsibility, shared opportunities, shared

prosperity, and shared membership in one american community. if you look around the world today, no country making progress on creating a society where people share the future, not a single one got there with the militant, bitter, anti- government strategy. why? because what works in the modern world is partnership. the president was telling me about how you work closely with miami-dade and how you are going to read a whole new set of jobs and businesses here for the people back to waiting. if you look at the investment made in florida and into the space program, there will be new busies